Implementing Economics Standards: A Pilot Transition Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cargill, Thomas F.; Jurosky, Jennifer; Wendel, Jeanne

2008-01-01

Most states have adopted high school economics standards, but implementation efforts face two hurdles: evidence indicates that five or six college-level economics courses are needed for high school economics teachers and that standalone high school economics classes are more effective than strategies that infuse economics into history or civics…

Women in medical research: headaches and hurdles.

PubMed

Hart, P

1996-09-01

Very few women have professorial status in Australian medical schools. However, there are approximately equal numbers of male and female PhD students in biomedical research at Australian universities. At Flinders University of South Australia, females comprise approximately 25% of academics in the School of Medicine, with 75% of general staff (including research staff without academic status, e.g. research assistants, research officers) being female. Females comprise 29% of Fellows in the highly competitive Career Awards Scheme of the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC; 26% excluding those of the lowest rank, namely RD Wright Fellows). In both systems, a higher percentage of women are appointed to the lower levels. The statistics suggest that the main hurdle for women in medical research is the inability to progress in the postdoctoral ranks (e.g. appointment to, or promotion from, academic Level A/B positions (Tutor/Lecturer) or appointment to the NHMRC Research Fellowships Scheme). This may reflect the conflicts that women face in their debate of the priorities of family (children and partner) versus career, or research versus teaching and professional activities. All medical research is time-demanding and continuing research funds are difficult to obtain. Women and men have similar success rates for obtaining funds from the NHMRC. However, a greater percentage of women academics do not apply for grants. Why? Can women be helped to play a larger role in medical research?

Finding Medical Care for Colorectal Cancer Symptoms: Experiences among Those Facing Financial Barriers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Maria D.; Siminoff, Laura A.

2015-01-01

Financial barriers can substantially delay medical care seeking. Using patient narratives provided by 252 colorectal cancer patients, we explored the experience of financial barriers to care seeking. Of the 252 patients interviewed, 84 identified financial barriers as a significant hurdle to obtaining health care for their colorectal cancer…

Clock Ticks on Senate ESEA Plan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Alyson

2011-01-01

The author reports on a measure to renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which faces steep political hurdles. Leaders of the Senate education committee still aim to push a bipartisan revision of the much-criticized No Child Left Behind Act through Congress by year's end, in time to stave off the Obama administration's move to…

Jobs Plan Highlights Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Alyson

2011-01-01

President Barack Obama is putting new money to save educators' jobs and help states refurbish aging school facilities at the center of a nearly $450 billion plan to jump-start the sluggish economy. The author talks about the president's plan which is sure to face hurdles in a politically polarized Washington where one house of Congress is…

Higher Education and the Early Education of African American Ministers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooks, Michael

2010-01-01

The education of African American ministers in the United States has been little researched. Numerous books address the profession of ministry and the education of Blacks in general, but most do not specifically address issues pertaining to the professional education of Black ministers. The majority of the hurdles African Americans faced were…

Action Learning in Postgraduate Research Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marchand, Trevor

2017-01-01

This account of practice explores the benefits and challenges of using Action Learning (AL) with junior researchers. Findings are grounded in an AL set of six doctoral students, organised and convened by the author. The case study reveals the range of emotional and structural hurdles that Ph.D. candidates typically face in completing their…

"Sukoon": Drama and Discovery in an Indian Jail

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Telang, Meghana; Starkman, Meredith

2017-01-01

In March 2017, Meredith Starkman and Meghana Telang, in collaboration with Khula Aasman Trust, entered a women's jail in Mumbai, India, to facilitate a drama workshop focused on the foundations of theatre performance. This article records their experience and the hurdles they faced, from unwilling participants to the height of Mumbai's sweltering…

Policy Complexity, Political Calculus Cloud ESEA Reauthorization Outlook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Alyson

2010-01-01

The author reports on the push to renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act which faces steep policy and political hurdles. Although the legislative machinery seems to be clanking along, with an Obama administration blueprint for renewal on the table and House and Senate education panels holding hearings on a variety of issues related to…

Workplace Transformations and Their Impact on People and Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riquelme, Graciela C.

2004-01-01

In the midst of deep transformation in the world economy, women have new problems, and still face hurdles that prevent their full and equitable participation in the labour market. Unceasing economic globalisation and the boom in service industries have increased women's employment, despite the pressure to reduce public sector spending and the…

Latino/a Student Misbehavior and School Punishment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peguero, Anthony A.; Shekarkhar, Zahra

2011-01-01

Although Latino/as are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. student population, Latino/a youth face a number of educational hurdles, such as disproportionate school punishment. This topic is particularly relevant today in the midst of the current social, political, and economic debate over the influence of Latino/a immigration in the US school…

A student's perspective of managing data collection in a complex qualitative study.

PubMed

Dowse, Eileen Mary; van der Riet, Pamela; Keatinge, Diana Rosemary

2014-11-01

To highlight from a doctoral student's perspective some of the unexpected and challenging issues that may arise when collecting data in a complex, qualitative study. Using a qualitative approach to undertaking a PhD requires commitment to the research topic, the acquisition of a variety of research skills and the development of expertise in writing. Despite close research supervision and guidance, the first author of this paper experienced unexpected hurdles when collecting data. This article highlights these hurdles and compares them with similar and dissimilar challenges raised by a social researcher with 30 years' experience (White 2012). The first author's experience of field research during her PhD candidature. Informed by a critical theoretical perspective, a snowballing technique was used to examine issues related to data collection by a doctoral student in a qualitative research study. The first author found the logistics of qualitative data collection, concerns about transparency, role confusion and power differentials with participants, and the effective use of video recording technology, unexpectedly challenging. Many of these issues are highlighted in the literature and/or during research supervision. However, the student researcher remains a novice when entering the field. It is often only on reflection after encountering the hurdle that the student recognises future pre-emptive or alternative methods of data collection. The challenges faced as a doctoral student managing the data collection phase of the study concurred with White's discussion of some of the 'real life challenges that novice researchers might face' (2012). Specific guidance and prudence are needed by research students to know when enough data have been collected for manageable analysis within the limits of candidature. Use of reflexivity and mindfulness practised by the student during this phase assisted the ability to reflect, respond and learn from issues as they arose and aim for a harmonious work, study and life balance. This paper highlights these issues and offers suggestions for other research higher degree students facing similar challenges when collecting data in a complex qualitative study.

Bringing nanomedicines to market: regulatory challenges, opportunities, and uncertainties.

PubMed

Nijhara, Ruchika; Balakrishnan, Krishna

2006-06-01

Scientists and entrepreneurs who contemplate developing nanomedicine products face several unique challenges in addition to many of the traditional hurdles of product development. In this review we analyze the major physicochemical, biologic and functional characteristics of several nanomedicine products on the market and explore the question of what made them unique. What made them successful? We also focus on the regulatory challenges faced by nanomedicine product developers. Based on these analyses, we propose the factors that are most likely to contribute to the success of nanomedicine products.

Using comics to increase literacy and assess student learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwaller, Terry

2013-02-01

Formative assessment strategies and the integration of literacy pose two of the many hurdles teachers face. With the pressure of standardized test scores hanging over everyone's heads, finding class time to integrate these essential strategies is at a premium. By integrating comics with quick, formative written assessment, you can kill the proverbial two birds with one stone.

Rigor Disputed in Standards for Teachers: "Highly Qualified" Bar for Veterans Shifts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keller, Bess

2004-01-01

States have fashioned wildly different ways of judging whether teachers already in the classroom meet the federal standard of "highly qualified," raising the possibility that teachers in some states will not face the high hurdle that Congress intended. However, to be deemed highly qualified under the federal law, teachers must hold a…

NCLB Cases Face Hurdles in the Courts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hendrie, Caroline

2005-01-01

When cobbling together the landmark No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, Congress quietly tacked on an unusual provision that says the law does not require states or school districts "to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under this act." Little noticed at the time and lifted directly from an earlier version of the law enacted…

Close the Hidden Funding Gaps in Our Schools. K-12 Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hall, Daria; Ushomirsky, Natasha

2010-01-01

Everyone knows that low-income and minority students often face steep hurdles. Although these challenges sometimes have roots outside of school, compelling evidence shows that great teachers and well-run schools can have powerful effects on student learning and help close achievement gaps. Yet in most parts of the country, people do exactly the…

Web Sites Face Hurdles in Promising Students Unbiased Loan-Rate Comparisons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basken, Paul

2007-01-01

Someday students seeking a college loan might go to a Web site, fill out a brief questionnaire, and get connected to the lender with the best possible rate. Such a system would bring cheer to students seeking straight answers, lenders seeking fair competition, and colleges seeking relief from investigations led by Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo…

Perspectives on the Development and Future of Advanced Placement® Human Geography

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hildebrant, Barbara

2016-01-01

Advanced Placement (AP) Human Geography faced a number of hurdles that nearly derailed the course before it launched in 2000-2001. A dedicated cadre of geography professionals and high school teachers rose to the challenge and the course remains one of the fastest growing AP courses currently offered by College Board. Seventeen readers and leaders…

Visa Process Keeps Iraqi Students out of U.S.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Labi, Aisha

2008-01-01

This article reports that American visa procedures have prevented graduate students from taking advantage of the Iraqi government's program to study in the United States. Iraqi students seeking to come to American colleges on full scholarships from the Iraqi government face so many hurdles in obtaining a visa that few are able to enter the…

Hurdles Ahead in "Race to Top"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNeil, Michele

2009-01-01

As states scramble to spend and report on millions of dollars of education stimulus funds already flowing their way, they face another daunting task if they want a shot at even more money: navigating the complex application process for $4 billion from the Race to the Top Fund. Merely filling out the award application will take each state 642…

Lorcaserin: drug profile and illustrative model of the regulatory challenges of weight-loss drug development.

PubMed

Bays, Harold E

2011-03-01

Lorcaserin is a selective 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 2c agonist developed as a weight-loss drug. Phase II and III clinical trials support lorcaserin as not only reducing adiposity (i.e., fat mass), but also as improving the metabolic diseases commonly associated with adiposopathy (i.e., fat dysfunction). At the time of this writing, regulatory processes continue towards evaluating lorcaserin as a potentially marketed weight-loss and weight-maintenance agent. Some of the challenges facing lorcaserin are similar to the difficulties encountered by all investigational weight-loss therapeutic agents, which include evolving paths towards approval. While important for clinicians to understand approval hurdles for all therapeutics, it is especially critical for researchers and developers to grasp the unique regulatory complexities of anti-obesity agents. This article profiles lorcaserin as an illustrative example of general drug development regulatory processes, and specifically details the unique challenge of weight-loss drug development.

Using Speech Recognition Software to Improve Writing Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diaz, Felix

2014-01-01

Orthopedically impaired (OI) students face a formidable challenge during the writing process due to their limited or non-existing ability to use their hands to hold a pen or pencil or even to press the keys on a keyboard. While they may have a clear mental picture of what they want to write, the biggest hurdle comes well before having to tackle…

Paralympics 2012 Legacy: Accessible Housing and Disability Equality or Inequality?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ahmed, Nadia

2013-01-01

The golden summer of sport is now over, but what is the legacy of London 2012 for disabled people? Nadia Ahmed, a disabled student, discusses the difficulties she has faced in finding accessible accommodation in London. She argues that while the Games are over, the United Kingdom still has lots of hurdles to leap when it comes to disability. The…

Special Education: Examining the Impact of Poverty on the Quality of Life of Families of Children with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enwefa, Regina L.; Enwefa, Stephen C.; Jennings, Robert

2006-01-01

Today, school personnel are facing many challenges in their efforts to serve diverse families and children with disabilities. Inadequate human and fiscal capacity, attitudinal and cultural barriers are among the many hurdles that must be surmounted for successful provision of related services. Decisions about who is educated versus who is…

Status of Teacher Performance Pay Programs across the United States. Information Capsule. Volume 1103

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blazer, Christie

2011-01-01

An increasing number of states and school districts across the country are tying teacher pay to student performance. A recent RAND Education study found that nationwide spending on teacher performance pay increased from $99 million in 2006 to $439 million in 2010. However, many states and school districts face significant hurdles when they attempt…

Punishing Latina/o Youth: School Justice, Fairness, Order, Dropping Out, and Gender Disparities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Peguero, Anthony A.; Bondy, Jennifer M.; Shekarkhar, Zahra

2017-01-01

Although Latina/o youth are one the fastest growing segments of the U.S. population, they face a number of educational hurdles, such as disproportionate school punishment and increased risk of dropping out of high school. This topic is particularly relevant today in the midst of the current social, political, and economic debate over the…

How to avoid unfair discrimination against disabled patients in healthcare resource allocation.

PubMed

Sinclair, Sean

2012-03-01

The paper proposes a new method of researching public opinion for the purposes of valuing the outcomes of healthcare interventions. The issue I address is that, under the quality-adjusted life-year system, disabled patients face a higher cost-effectiveness hurdle than able-bodied patients. This seems inequitable. The author considers the alternative approaches to valuing healthcare interventions that have been proposed, and shows that all of them face the same problem. It is proposed that to value an outcome, instead of researching the general public, the population that is to be targeted with the intervention should be researched.

Creating a Community of Support for Children and Families Affected by Opioid Dependence: Identifying and Addressing Gaps in Maternal-Fetal Care

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fragassi, Philip A.; Bora, Geetanjali

2018-01-01

The last decade has seen an exponential increase in the use of illicit and prescription opioids during pregnancy. Opioid dependency during pregnancy increases the risks of obstetric complications for mothers and potential dangers for newborns during infancy and later in life. The mother-child dyad faces specific hurdles when it comes to getting…

AFRICOM: An Effective Organization or a Military Hurdle?

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

challenges that impact their effectiveness and therefore success. These challenges are not easy to visualize, thus making it more difficult to derive and...BLANK v ABSTRACT Many organizations face challenges that impact their effectiveness and therefore success. These challenges are not easy to visualize...examination of the variables that have the potential to adversely impact AFRICOM’s effectiveness. First, throughout the literature there are no specific

Toward cost-effective solar energy use.

PubMed

Lewis, Nathan S

2007-02-09

At present, solar energy conversion technologies face cost and scalability hurdles in the technologies required for a complete energy system. To provide a truly widespread primary energy source, solar energy must be captured, converted, and stored in a cost-effective fashion. New developments in nanotechnology, biotechnology, and the materials and physical sciences may enable step-change approaches to cost-effective, globally scalable systems for solar energy use.

State procurement law: facilitating the collaboration between health department and school of public health.

PubMed

Huber, George A; Barron, Gerald M; Duchak, Linda S; Raniowski, Martin; Alsahlani, Hazem S; Potter, Margaret A

2014-01-01

The mark of an "academic health department" includes shared activity by academic and practice partners sustained over time. Despite a long history of productive interactivity, the Pennsylvania Department of Health and the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health often faced administrative hurdles in contracting for projects of mutual interest. Seeking to overcome these hurdles, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public Health negotiated a Master Agreement on the basis of statutes designating both as "public procurement units." This provided a template for project specifications, standard financial terms, and a contracting process. Since taking effect, the Master Agreement has supported projects in policy development, capacity building, workforce development, program evaluation, data analysis, and program planning. This experience suggests an approach potentially useful for other states and localities seeking to solidify academic health department partnerships either envisioned for the future or already in place.

Designing natural and synthetic immune tissues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gosselin, Emily A.; Eppler, Haleigh B.; Bromberg, Jonathan S.; Jewell, Christopher M.

2018-06-01

Vaccines and immunotherapies have provided enormous improvements for public health, but there are fundamental disconnects between where most studies are performed—in cell culture and animal models—and the ultimate application in humans. Engineering immune tissues and organs, such as bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes and spleen, could be instrumental in overcoming these hurdles. Fundamentally, designed immune tissues could serve as in vitro tools to more accurately study human immune function and disease, while immune tissues engineered for implantation as next-generation vaccines or immunotherapies could enable direct, on-demand control over generation and regulation of immune function. In this Review, we discuss recent interdisciplinary strategies that are merging materials science and immunology to create engineered immune tissues in vitro and in vivo. We also highlight the hurdles facing these approaches and the need for comparison to existing clinical options, relevant animal models, and other emerging technologies.

Evolutionary scalpels for dissecting tumor ecosystems

PubMed Central

Rosenbloom, Daniel I. S.; Camara, Pablo G.; Chu, Tim; Rabadan, Raul

2017-01-01

Amidst the growing literature on cancer genomics and intratumor heterogeneity, essential principles in evolutionary biology recur time and time again. Here we use these principles to guide the reader through major advances in cancer research, highlighting issues of “hit hard, hit early” treatment strategies, drug resistance, and metastasis. We distinguish between two frameworks for understanding heterogeneous tumors, both of which can inform treatment strategies: (1) The tumor as diverse ecosystem, a Darwinian population of sometimes-competing, sometimes-cooperating cells; (2) The tumor as tightly integrated, self-regulating organ, which may hijack developmental signals to restore functional heterogeneity after treatment. While the first framework dominates literature on cancer evolution, the second framework enjoys support as well. Throughout this review, we illustrate how mathematical models inform understanding of tumor progression and treatment outcomes. Connecting models to genomic data faces computational and technical hurdles, but high-throughput single-cell technologies show promise to clear these hurdles. PMID:27923679

About ATMPs, SOPs and GMP: The Hurdles to Produce Novel Skin Grafts for Clinical Use

PubMed Central

Hartmann-Fritsch, Fabienne; Marino, Daniela; Reichmann, Ernst

2016-01-01

Background The treatment of severe full-thickness skin defects represents a significant and common clinical problem worldwide. A bio-engineered autologous skin substitute would significantly reduce the problems observed with today's gold standard. Methods Within 15 years of research, the Tissue Biology Research Unit of the University Children's Hospital Zurich has developed autologous tissue-engineered skin grafts based on collagen type I hydrogels. Those products are considered as advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) and are routinely produced for clinical trials in a clean room facility following the guidelines for good manufacturing practice (GMP). This article focuses on hurdles observed for the translation of ATMPs from research into the GMP environment and clinical application. Results and Conclusion Personalized medicine in the field of rare diseases has great potential. However, ATMPs are mainly developed and promoted by academia, hospitals, and small companies, which face many obstacles such as high financial burdens. PMID:27781022

Coping with Change and Fostering Innovation: An Agenda for Professional and Continuing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohl, Kay J.

2010-01-01

In an age of knowledge, the capacities of professional and continuing education to open up new networks, overcome organizational hurdles, and foster an environment for innovation have assumed great relevance. This article makes the case as to why. It discusses key forces driving change--the knowledge economy, demographics, technology, and…

Revised U.S. Climate Science Plan Still Lacking in Key Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Showstack, Randy

2004-03-01

A U.S. National Research Council committee has found that a revised strategic plan for the U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP) includes elements ``that could permit it to effectively guide research on climate and associated global changes over the next decades.'' However, the committee noted that the revision, issued by the CCSP, faces major hurdles related to funding, program priorities, management structure, and maintaining political independence.

Professional and personal enhancement: a pragmatic approach in dental education.

PubMed

Deivanayagam, Kandaswamy; K, Anbarasi

2016-06-01

Students of health education are often offended by the transitions and challenges they face while encountering diverse people, ideas and academic workloads. They may be offended because of reasons not only related to their societal background but also to their basic competence in managing transitions. In the Asian scenario, students enter the first year of professional education in their late teen age along with the definition of self which was created by their parents. There are different issues that arise in this age group that may positively shape or negatively affect the personalities of students. They need to achieve a sense of balance between personal and professional traits on their own. Several students are often unable to cultivate the expected required qualities, which leads to an abject state of mind and hinder their progress. We identified the most common personal and professional hurdles in the lives of dental students and we provided experiential solutions to overcome the hurdles by using a sociable approach through an integrated, continuing education program. Designing and implementing a cohesive, amalgamated and inspiring personal and professional enhancement action program for dental students. Feedback from students reflected that the needs and expectations of students vary with academic phase. In addition students expressed that this program series inculcated some positive skills, and overall, they are satisfied with the utility of the program. Personal and professional enhancement of students in accordance with individual needs as well as with expected requirements needs a committed administrative action plan. Our results in this context are encouraging and can be considered for application in dental institutions.

Overcoming Health System Challenges for Women and Children Living With HIV Through the Global Plan.

PubMed

Modi, Surbhi; Callahan, Tegan; Rodrigues, Jessica; Kajoka, Mwikemo D; Dale, Helen M; Langa, Judite O; Urso, Marilena; Nchephe, Matsepeli I; Bongdene, Helene; Romano, Sostena; Broyles, Laura N

2017-05-01

To meet the ambitious targets set by the Global Plan Towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections Among Children by 2015 and Keeping Their Mothers Alive (Global Plan), the initial 22 priority countries quickly developed innovative approaches for overcoming long-standing health systems challenges and providing HIV testing and treatment to pregnant and breastfeeding women and their infants. The Global Plan spurred programs for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission to integrate HIV-related care and treatment into broader maternal, newborn, and child health services; expand the effectiveness of the health workforce through task sharing; extend health services into communities; strengthen supply chain and commodity management systems; reduce diagnostic and laboratory hurdles; and strengthen strategic supervision and mentorship. The article reviews the ongoing challenges for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programs as they continue to strive for elimination of vertical transmission of HIV infection in the post-Global Plan era. Although progress has been rapid, health systems still face important challenges, particularly follow-up and diagnosis of HIV-exposed infants, continuity of care, and the promotion of services that are respectful and client centered.

Virus-Vectored Influenza Virus Vaccines

PubMed Central

Tripp, Ralph A.; Tompkins, S. Mark

2014-01-01

Despite the availability of an inactivated vaccine that has been licensed for >50 years, the influenza virus continues to cause morbidity and mortality worldwide. Constant evolution of circulating influenza virus strains and the emergence of new strains diminishes the effectiveness of annual vaccines that rely on a match with circulating influenza strains. Thus, there is a continued need for new, efficacious vaccines conferring cross-clade protection to avoid the need for biannual reformulation of seasonal influenza vaccines. Recombinant virus-vectored vaccines are an appealing alternative to classical inactivated vaccines because virus vectors enable native expression of influenza antigens, even from virulent influenza viruses, while expressed in the context of the vector that can improve immunogenicity. In addition, a vectored vaccine often enables delivery of the vaccine to sites of inductive immunity such as the respiratory tract enabling protection from influenza virus infection. Moreover, the ability to readily manipulate virus vectors to produce novel influenza vaccines may provide the quickest path toward a universal vaccine protecting against all influenza viruses. This review will discuss experimental virus-vectored vaccines for use in humans, comparing them to licensed vaccines and the hurdles faced for licensure of these next-generation influenza virus vaccines. PMID:25105278

Overcoming Health System Challenges for Women and Children Living With HIV Through the Global Plan

PubMed Central

Modi, Surbhi; Callahan, Tegan; Rodrigues, Jessica; Kajoka, Mwikemo D.; Dale, Helen M.; Langa, Judite O.; Urso, Marilena; Nchephe, Matsepeli I.; Bongdene, Helene; Romano, Sostena; Broyles, Laura N.

2017-01-01

To meet the ambitious targets set by the Global Plan Towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections Among Children by 2015 and Keeping Their Mothers Alive (Global Plan), the initial 22 priority countries quickly developed innovative approaches for overcoming long-standing health systems challenges and providing HIV testing and treatment to pregnant and breastfeeding women and their infants. The Global Plan spurred programs for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission to integrate HIV-related care and treatment into broader maternal, newborn, and child health services; expand the effectiveness of the health workforce through task sharing; extend health services into communities; strengthen supply chain and commodity management systems; reduce diagnostic and laboratory hurdles; and strengthen strategic supervision and mentorship. The article reviews the ongoing challenges for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission programs as they continue to strive for elimination of vertical transmission of HIV infection in the post-Global Plan era. Although progress has been rapid, health systems still face important challenges, particularly follow-up and diagnosis of HIV-exposed infants, continuity of care, and the promotion of services that are respectful and client centered. PMID:28399000

Implantable brain computer interface: challenges to neurotechnology translation.

PubMed

Konrad, Peter; Shanks, Todd

2010-06-01

This article reviews three concepts related to implantable brain computer interface (BCI) devices being designed for human use: neural signal extraction primarily for motor commands, signal insertion to restore sensation, and technological challenges that remain. A significant body of literature has occurred over the past four decades regarding motor cortex signal extraction for upper extremity movement or computer interface. However, little is discussed regarding postural or ambulation command signaling. Auditory prosthesis research continues to represent the majority of literature on BCI signal insertion. Significant hurdles continue in the technological translation of BCI implants. These include developing a stable neural interface, significantly increasing signal processing capabilities, and methods of data transfer throughout the human body. The past few years, however, have provided extraordinary human examples of BCI implant potential. Despite technological hurdles, proof-of-concept animal and human studies provide significant encouragement that BCI implants may well find their way into mainstream medical practice in the foreseeable future.

[The best of clinical cardiovascular pharmacology in 2005].

PubMed

Ambrosi, R; Andrejak, M; Drici, M D; Herpin, D

2006-01-01

Although the year 2005 has reinforced the therapeutic advances of 2004, with confirmation of certain concepts, the 'coxib affair' has continued to provoke arguments between pharmaceutical companies, licensing agencies as well as patients, some of whom have amalgamated into consumer groups to reject en masse placing any responsibility on the prescribers in favour of an attack on the drug licensing process itself. Among the cardiovascular drugs that will soon be licensed, only ivabradine in stable angina, and remodulin in primary pulmonary arterial hypertension are new. The therapeutic advances in 2005 regarding platelet aggregation and blood coagulation have been significant, in the human, scientific and commercial context, while hypertension has not been ignored. Another new development is the ever more precise notion of the metabolic syndrome, a target of choice for the pharmaceutical industry. The potential range of applications has been widened to include obesity, hypertension, diabetes, HDL cholesterol... The licensing authorities find themselves facing a hurdle to overcome, with novel combinations of drugs (ACE inhibitors, calcium blockers/statins, statins/aspirin, ARA2/calcium blockers...).

NASA Exploration Team (NExT) In-Space Transportation Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drake, Bret G.; Cooke, Douglas R.; Kos, Larry D.; Brady, Hugh J. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

This presentation provides an overview of NASA Exploration Team's (NEXT) vision of in-space transportation in the future. Hurdles facing in-space transportation include affordable power sources, crew health and safety, optimized robotic and human operations and space systems performance. Topics covered include: exploration of Earth's neighborhood, Earth's neighborhood architecture and elements, Mars mission trajectory options, delta-v variations, Mars mission duration options, Mars mission architecture, nuclear electric propulsion advantages and miscellaneous technology needs.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Latency: The Major Hurdle in HIV Eradication

PubMed Central

Tyagi, Mudit; Bukrinsky, Michael

2012-01-01

Failure of highly active antiretroviral therapy to eradicate the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), even in patients who suppress the virus to undetectable levels for many years, underscores the problems associated with fighting this infection. The existence of persistent infection in certain cellular and anatomical reservoirs appears to be the major hurdle in HIV eradication. The development of therapeutic interventions that eliminate or limit the latent viral pools or prevent the reemergence of the viruses from producing cells will therefore be required to enhance the effectiveness of current antiretroviral strategies. To achieve this goal, there is a pressing need to understand HIV latency at the molecular level to design novel and improved therapies to either eradicate HIV or find a functional cure in which patients could maintain a manageable viral pool without AIDS in the absence of antiretroviral therapy. The integrated proviral genome remains transcriptionally silent for a long period in certain subsets of T cells. This ability to infect cells latently helps HIV to establish a persistent infection despite strong humoral and cellular immune responses against the viral proteins. The main purpose of this report is to provide a general overview of the HIV latency. We will describe the hurdles being faced in eradicating latent HIV proviruses. We will also briefly discuss the ongoing strategies aimed toward curing HIV infection. PMID:22692576

Engineering hurdles in contact and intraocular lens lathe design: the view ahead

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradley, Norman D.; Keller, John R.; Ball, Gary A.

1994-05-01

Current trends in and intraocular lens design suggest ever- increasing demand for aspheric lens geometries - multisurface and/or toric surfaces - in a variety of new materials. As computer numeric controls (CNC) lathes and mills continue to evolve with he ophthalmic market, engineering hurdles present themselves to designers: Can hardware based upon single-point diamond turning accommodate the demands of software-driven designs? What are the limits of CNC resolution and repeatability in high-throughput production? What are the controlling factors in lathed, polish-free surface production? Emerging technologies in the lathed biomedical optics field are discussed along with their limitations, including refined diamond tooling, vibrational control, automation, and advanced motion control systems.

Two steps forward, one step back: the intricacies of engaging with e-portfolios in nursing undergraduate education.

PubMed

Andrews, Tulsa; Cole, Clare

2015-04-01

To share the experience of implementing and refining the use of e-portfolios into an undergraduate nursing degree. This is a reflective piece that explores the hurdles experienced in introducing and maintaining e-portfolio's into higher education, particularly in undergraduate nursing curricula. Nil Review of the literature, and comparing and contrasting this against the experience of the authors. Hurdles included access to computer and quality internet connections, along with the levels of IT literacy of staff, and the common misconception that all students are IT savvy. What was also evident was how the need for both pedagogical and technical support to both staff and students was paramount in achieving an understanding of the software, and the scope and perspective of e-portfolio pedagogy. With each of these hurdles, staff reluctance to engage in e-portfolio use in the tertiary sector was evident. On reflection of each of these challenges, the authors identified that their experience mirrored other tertiary institutions in that a single hurdle alone is not responsible for fragmented e-portfolio implementation, but a combination of factors. Through exploring recommendations from other tertiary institutions, the authors recognize the limitations within their own working environment that contributed to the pitfalls experienced. Despite e-portfolios being introduced into higher education for over a decade, its successful implementation into undergraduate nursing curricula continues to be fraught with pitfalls, creating the sense of moving backwards more so than forwards. As with any new learning tool, careful consideration needs to be given to comprehensive planning, implementation, review and evaluation to either prevent the hurdles identified, or limit their impact on the quality of the portfolio produced and the learning attained from the process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Aspiring Pain Practitioners in India: Assessing Challenges and Building Opportunities.

PubMed

Bhatnagar, Sushma; Patel, Anuradha; Raja, Srinivasa N

2018-01-01

Pain medicine is a developing specialty, aimed at relieving pain and suffering, enhancing function, and improving the quality of life of patients. Pain is often ignored, under-reported and mismanaged by health-care providers. Aspiring pain physicians in India face many challenges and barriers in advancing their specialty. The objective of this study is to determine the challenges in establishing a pain practice in India and to discuss the opportunities and strategies to overcome these barriers. Face-to-face interactive sessions were held with 60 aspiring pain physicians of India who were chosen as registrants to an International Association for the Study of Pain-Indian Society for Study of Pain multidisciplinary evidence-based pain management program conducted at Delhi and Mumbai. The available opportunities, practical issues and the hurdles in becoming a pain specialist were analyzed and summarized in this commentary. The major barriers identified were: (1) Inadequate knowledge and absence of structured, educational and training courses, (2) bureaucratic hurdles, and (3) concerns of opioid misuse and addiction. The opportunities for personal growth and that of the specialty that could be utilized include the creation of a pain resource team, increasing community awareness, changing attitudes of other physicians toward pain specialty, and research and evidence building of the effectiveness of pain management strategies. India needs a structured teaching and training program in the area of pain medicine that is affiliated by the Medical Council of India or other reputed boards of medical education and certification. There is an urgent need to include pain management in the undergraduate and postgraduate medical curriculum. Enhancing community level awareness by public health education campaigns, developing networks of pain physicians, and appropriate marketing of the specialty is needed to make pain medicine recognized and utilized as a valuable specialty.

Discovery of innovative therapeutics: today's realities and tomorrow's vision. 1. Criticisms faced by the pharmaceutical industry.

PubMed

Abou-Gharbia, Magid; Childers, Wayne E

2013-07-25

The pharmaceutical industry is facing enormous challenges, including reduced efficiency, declining innovation, key patent expirations, fierce price competition from generics, high regulatory hurdles, and a tarnished image. There is a clear need for change in the paradigms designed to address these challenges. Pharma has responded by embarking on a range of initiatives. However, along the way the industry has accrued critics whose accusations have tainted its reputation. The first part of this two-part series will discuss the criticisms that have been leveled at the pharmaceutical industry and summarize the supporting data for and against these criticisms. The second installment will focus on the current challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry and Pharma's responses to address these challenges. It will describe the industry's changing perspective and new business models for coping with the recent loss of talent and declining clinical pipelines as well as present some examples of recent drug discovery successes.

Challenges and opportunities in clinical translation of biomedical optical spectroscopy and imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Brian C.; Jermyn, Michael; Leblond, Frederic

2018-03-01

Medical devices face many hurdles before they enter routine clinical practice to address unmet clinical needs. This is also the case for biomedical optical spectroscopy and imaging systems that are used here to illustrate the opportunities and challenges involved. Following initial concept, stages in clinical translation include instrument development, preclinical testing, clinical prototyping, clinical trials, prototype-to-product conversion, regulatory approval, commercialization, and finally clinical adoption and dissemination, all in the face of potentially competing technologies. Optical technologies face additional challenges from their being extremely diverse, often targeting entirely different diseases and having orders-of-magnitude differences in resolution and tissue penetration. However, these technologies can potentially address a wide variety of unmet clinical needs since they provide rich intrinsic biochemical and structural information, have high sensitivity and specificity for disease detection and localization, and are practical, safe (minimally invasive, nonionizing), and relatively affordable.

Use of Biopolymers in Antimicrobial Food Packaging

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Recent outbreaks of foodborne illness and food recalls continue to push for innovative ways to inhibit microbial growth in foods. As an additional hurdle to food processes, antimicrobial food packaging can play an important role in reducing the risk of pathogen contamination of processed foods. In...

With Preparation, You Can Clear the Teacher Termination Hurdles.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacNaughton, Robert; Ross, Victor J.

1982-01-01

Maintains that, contrary to popular opinion, it is possible to fire incompetent teachers, as long as administrators know how to provide both substantive and procedural due process, follow state tenure laws or continuing contract laws, follow the collective bargaining agreement, and conduct and write a fair teacher evaluation. (JM)

Effect of Hurdle Technology in Food Preservation: A Review.

PubMed

Singh, Shiv; Shalini, Rachana

2016-01-01

Hurdle technology is used in industrialized as well as in developing countries for the gentle but effective preservation of foods. Hurdle technology was developed several years ago as a new concept for the production of safe, stable, nutritious, tasty, and economical foods. Previously hurdle technology, i.e., a combination of preservation methods, was used empirically without much knowledge of the governing principles. The intelligent application of hurdle technology has become more prevalent now, because the principles of major preservative factors for foods (e.g., temperature, pH, aw, Eh, competitive flora), and their interactions, became better known. Recently, the influence of food preservation methods on the physiology and behavior of microorganisms in foods, i.e. their homeostasis, metabolic exhaustion, stress reactions, are taken into account, and the novel concept of multi-target food preservation emerged. The present contribution reviews the concept of the potential hurdles for foods, the hurdle effect, and the hurdle technology for the prospects of the future goal of a multi-target preservation of foods.

Geopolymer concrete for structural use: Recent findings and limitations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nuruddin, M. F.; Malkawi, A. B.; Fauzi, A.; Mohammed, B. S.; Almattarneh, H. M.

2016-06-01

Geopolymer binders offer a possible solution for several problems that facing the current cement industry. These binders exhibit similar or better engineering properties compared to cement and can utilize several types of waste materials. This paper presents the recent research progress regarding the structural behaviour of reinforced geopolymer concrete members including beams, columns and slabs. The reported results showed that the structural behaviour of the reinforced geopolymer concrete members is similar to the known behaviour of the ordinary reinforced concrete members. In addition, the currently available standards have been conservatively used for analysis and designing of reinforced geopolymer concrete structures. On the other hand, the main hurdles facing the spread of geopolymer concrete was the absence of standards and the concerns about the long-term properties. Other issues included the safety, cost and liability.

The challenges facing wearable sensor systems.

PubMed

McAdams, Eric; Gehin, Claudine; Massot, Bertrand; McLaughlin, James

2012-01-01

It has been pointed out that, in spite of significant national and international funding programmes, there is a dearth of successfully commercialised wearable monitoring systems. Although problems such as financial reimbursement, device interoperability and the present lack of the required connected healthcare infrastructure are major hurdles to the provision of remote clinical monitoring of home-based patients, the "Mount Everest" of monitoring applications, why are wearable systems not already commercialised and used in less demanding applications? The numerous wearable systems which appear on the Web and even in the literature are, for the most part, basic prototypes unsuited to the demands of real-life applications. SMEs which do seek to commercialise clinically promising systems are unfortunately faced with many challenges and few as yet have survived long enough to successfully commercialise their innovations.

Improving the clinical impact of biomaterials in cancer immunotherapy

PubMed Central

Gammon, Joshua M.; Dold, Neil M.; Jewell, Christopher M.

2016-01-01

Immunotherapies for cancer have progressed enormously over the past few decades, and hold great promise for the future. The successes of these therapies, with some patients showing durable and complete remission, demonstrate the power of harnessing the immune system to eradicate tumors. However, the effectiveness of current immunotherapies is limited by hurdles ranging from immunosuppressive strategies employed by tumors, to inadequate specificity of existing therapies, to heterogeneity of disease. Further, the vast majority of approved immunotherapies employ systemic delivery of immunomodulators or cells that make addressing some of these challenges more difficult. Natural and synthetic biomaterials–such as biocompatible polymers, self-assembled lipid particles, and implantable biodegradable devices–offer unique potential to address these hurdles by harnessing the benefits of therapeutic targeting, tissue engineering, co-delivery, controlled release, and sensing. However, despite the enormous investment in new materials and nanotechnology, translation of these ideas to the clinic is still an uncommon outcome. Here we review the major challenges facing immunotherapies and discuss how the newest biomaterials and nanotechnologies could help overcome these challenges to create new clinical options for patients. PMID:26871948

MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery, present and future

PubMed Central

Schlesinger, David; Benedict, Stanley; Diederich, Chris; Gedroyc, Wladyslaw; Klibanov, Alexander; Larner, James

2013-01-01

MR-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) is a quickly developing technology with potential applications across a spectrum of indications traditionally within the domain of radiation oncology. Especially for applications where focal treatment is the preferred technique (for example, radiosurgery), MRgFUS has the potential to be a disruptive technology that could shift traditional patterns of care. While currently cleared in the United States for the noninvasive treatment of uterine fibroids and bone metastases, a wide range of clinical trials are currently underway, and the number of publications describing advances in MRgFUS is increasing. However, for MRgFUS to make the transition from a research curiosity to a clinical standard of care, a variety of challenges, technical, financial, clinical, and practical, must be overcome. This installment of the Vision 20/20 series examines the current status of MRgFUS, focusing on the hurdles the technology faces before it can cross over from a research technique to a standard fixture in the clinic. It then reviews current and near-term technical developments which may overcome these hurdles and allow MRgFUS to break through into clinical practice. PMID:23927296

Sirtuins and the metabolic hurdles in cancer

PubMed Central

German, Natalie J.; Haigis, Marcia C.

2017-01-01

The metabolic demands of cancer cannot be met by normal cell metabolism. Cancer cells undergo dramatic alteration of metabolic pathways in a process called reprogramming, characterized by increased nutrient uptake and re-purposing of these fuels for biosynthetic, bioenergetic or signaling pathways. Partitioning carbon sources toward growth and away from ATP production necessitates other means of generating energy for biosynthetic reactions. Additionally, cancer cell adaptations frequently leads to increased production of reactive oxygen species and lactic acid- metabolites which can be beneficial to cancer growth but also are potentially toxic and must be appropriately cleared. Sirtuins are a family of deacylases and ADP-ribosyltransferases with clear links to the regulation of cancer metabolism. Through their unique ability to integrate cellular stress and nutrient status with coordination of metabolic outputs, sirtuins are well poised to play pivotal roles in tumor metabolism. Here, we review the multi-faceted duties of sirtuins in tackling the metabolic hurdles in cancer. We focus on both beneficial and adverse effects of sirtuins in the regulation of energetic, biosynthetic and toxicity barriers faced by cancer cells. PMID:26126285

Cost-offsets of prescription drug expenditures: data analysis via a copula-based bivariate dynamic hurdle model.

PubMed

Deb, Partha; Trivedi, Pravin K; Zimmer, David M

2014-10-01

In this paper, we estimate a copula-based bivariate dynamic hurdle model of prescription drug and nondrug expenditures to test the cost-offset hypothesis, which posits that increased expenditures on prescription drugs are offset by reductions in other nondrug expenditures. We apply the proposed methodology to data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, which have the following features: (i) the observed bivariate outcomes are a mixture of zeros and continuously measured positives; (ii) both the zero and positive outcomes show state dependence and inter-temporal interdependence; and (iii) the zeros and the positives display contemporaneous association. The point mass at zero is accommodated using a hurdle or a two-part approach. The copula-based approach to generating joint distributions is appealing because the contemporaneous association involves asymmetric dependence. The paper studies samples categorized by four health conditions: arthritis, diabetes, heart disease, and mental illness. There is evidence of greater than dollar-for-dollar cost-offsets of expenditures on prescribed drugs for relatively low levels of spending on drugs and less than dollar-for-dollar cost-offsets at higher levels of drug expenditures. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hurdles to the global antipolio campaign in Pakistan: an outline of the current status and future prospects to achieve a polio free world.

PubMed

Khan, Tariq; Qazi, Javaria

2013-08-01

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative to eradicate polio completely by the year 2000 has been successful, except for three endemic and some non-endemic countries. Pakistan, one of the three endemic polio reservoirs, is posing a serious threat to the success of the initiative. Currently, the expanded programme on immunisation has been geared to win the race over polio virus in Pakistan. After the remarkable decrease in polio cases from 198 in 2011 to only 58 in 2012, Pakistan seemed to be at the verge of success. However, hurdles continue to retard the campaign. The war against terrorism, misconceptions about polio vaccine, religious misinterpretations, frustration among vaccinators, lack of awareness, social considerations, natural calamities, inaccessibility, and inefficient vaccines and so on are continually rupturing the foundations of the worldwide initiative in the country. Weak health management is found at the hub of majority of the challenges. Stricter policies, well managed and supervised plans and strategic actions, risk analysis and enhanced communication may help giving the final punch to polio virus in the country. Analysis suggested that there is some literature available on the challenges to polio elimination, yet there is not a single publication up to date that considers all the possible hurdles in a single manuscript. This paper sorts out the breaches that hamper the goal of eliminating polio from Pakistan. We have evaluated all the possible barriers and explained them with a perspective that will help develop area specific strategies against polio virus and thus eradicate polio virus from the world.

Technology-driven dietary assessment: a software developer’s perspective

PubMed Central

Buday, Richard; Tapia, Ramsey; Maze, Gary R.

2015-01-01

Dietary researchers need new software to improve nutrition data collection and analysis, but creating information technology is difficult. Software development projects may be unsuccessful due to inadequate understanding of needs, management problems, technology barriers or legal hurdles. Cost overruns and schedule delays are common. Barriers facing scientific researchers developing software include workflow, cost, schedule, and team issues. Different methods of software development and the role that intellectual property rights play are discussed. A dietary researcher must carefully consider multiple issues to maximize the likelihood of success when creating new software. PMID:22591224

The Little Rover that Could

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This image taken at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows a rover test drive up a manmade slope. The slope simulates one that the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity will face on Mars if it is sent commands to explore rock outcrop that lies farther into 'Endurance Crater.' Using sand, dirt and rocks, scientists and engineers at JPL constructed the overall platform of the slope at a 25-degree angle, with a 40-degree step in the middle. The test rover successfully descended and climbed the platform, adding confidence that Opportunity could cross a similar hurdle in Endurance Crater.

Immunological hurdles of ageing: indispensable research of the human model.

PubMed

Vallejo, Abbe N

2011-07-01

Census reports of many countries indicate continuing trends for the graying of their populations. For the United States alone, persons aged ≥65 years are projected to comprise over 20% of the population by the year 2050. In view of the special medical needs of elders, scientific investigation into the biological aspects of ageing is key towards the improvement of geriatric care for the coming decades. This special issue of Ageing Research Reviews focuses on advances in research on the immunology of human ageing. Herein are nine articles about the age-related alterations in both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system, and about continuing hurdles in vaccinology. These articles point to a common theme that the immunological milieu in old age is substantially different from that seen in the young. This suggests that new development and/or innovation of immune-based clinical interventions for the elderly may need to be customized for their age group, rather than the mere adoption of therapies that have been designed for and/or tested for younger persons. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Immunological hurdles of ageing: Indispensable research of the human model

PubMed Central

Vallejo, Abbe N.

2011-01-01

Census reports of many countries indicate continuing trends for the graying of their populations. For the United States alone, persons aged ≥65 years are projected to comprise over 20% of the population by the year 2050. In view of the special medical needs of elders, scientific investigation into the biological aspects of aging is key towards the improvement of geriatric care for the coming decades. This special issue of Ageing Research Reviews focuses on advances in research on the immunology of human ageing. Herein are nine articles about the age-related alterations in both the innate and adaptive arms of the immune system, and about continuing hurdles in vaccinology. These articles point to a common theme that the immunological milieu in old age is substantially different from that seen in the young. This suggests that new development and/or innovation of immune-based clinical interventions for the elderly may need to be customized for their age group, rather than the mere adoption of therapies that have been designed for and/or tested for younger persons. PMID:21315185

Development of shelf stable pork sausages using hurdle technology and their quality at ambient temperature (37±1°C) storage.

PubMed

Thomas, R; Anjaneyulu, A S R; Kondaiah, N

2008-05-01

Shelf stable pork sausages were developed using hurdle technology and their quality was evaluated during ambient temperature (37±1°C) storage. Hurdles incorporated were low pH, low water activity, vacuum packaging and post package reheating. Dipping in potassium sorbate solution prior to vacuum packaging was also studied. Reheating increased the pH of the sausages by 0.17units as against 0.11units in controls. Incorporation of hurdles significantly decreased emulsion stability, cooking yield, moisture and fat percent, yellowness and hardness, while increasing the protein percent and redness. Hurdle treatment reduced quality deterioration during storage as indicated by pH, TBARS and tyrosine values. About 1 log reduction in total plate count was observed with the different hurdles as were reductions in the coliform, anaerobic, lactobacilli and Staphylococcus aureus counts. pH, a(w) and reheating hurdles inhibited yeast and mold growth up to day 3, while additional dipping in 1% potassium sorbate solution inhibited their growth throughout the 9 days storage. Despite low initial sensory appeal, the hurdle treated sausages had an overall acceptability in the range 'very good' to 'good' up to day 6.

Determination of the best pre-jump height for improvement of two-legged vertical jump.

PubMed

Jafari, Mahsa; Zolaktaf, Vahid; Marandi, Sayyed M

2013-04-01

Athletic performance in many sports depends on two-legged vertical jump. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of different pre-jump height exercises on two-legged vertical jump and to determine the best pre-jump height(s). Subjects included 35 females and 42 males. By matched randomized sampling, subjects of each sex were assigned into four groups, namely, control, 10-cm hurdle, 20-cm hurdle, and 30-cm hurdle. They participated in the same training program for 6 weeks. Statistical analyses were based on one-way and repeated-measure analysis of variance (ANOVA). Analysis of the data showed that practice over hurdles of 10 cm was better than no hurdle and hurdles of >10 cm. Also, jump attempts over hurdles were efficient for trained athletes, but not for untrained athletes. For both sexes, the rate of spike improvement was much better in the experimental groups than in the control groups; it was independent from the rate of progress in jump, which was relatively less evident. It is likely that rather than increasing jump height, training over hurdle enabled the players to use a higher percent of their jump potentials.

How to implement live video recording in the clinical environment: A practical guide for clinical services.

PubMed

Lloyd, Adam; Dewar, Alistair; Edgar, Simon; Caesar, Dave; Gowens, Paul; Clegg, Gareth

2017-06-01

The use of video in healthcare is becoming more common, particularly in simulation and educational settings. However, video recording live episodes of clinical care is far less routine. To provide a practical guide for clinical services to embed live video recording. Using Kotter's 8-step process for leading change, we provide a 'how to' guide to navigate the challenges required to implement a continuous video-audit system based on our experience of video recording in our emergency department resuscitation rooms. The most significant hurdles in installing continuous video audit in a busy clinical area involve change management rather than equipment. Clinicians are faced with considerable ethical, legal and data protection challenges which are the primary barriers for services that pursue video recording of patient care. Existing accounts of video use rarely acknowledge the organisational and cultural dimensions that are key to the success of establishing a video system. This article outlines core implementation issues that need to be addressed if video is to become part of routine care delivery. By focussing on issues such as staff acceptability, departmental culture and organisational readiness, we provide a roadmap that can be pragmatically adapted by all clinical environments, locally and internationally, that seek to utilise video recording as an approach to improving clinical care. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quality of hurdle treated pork sausages during refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) storage.

PubMed

Thomas, R; Anjaneyulu, A S R; Kondaiah, N

2010-06-01

Pork sausages developed using hurdle technology was evaluated during refrigerated storage (4 ± 1°C). Hurdles incorporated were low pH, low water activity, vacuum packaging and post package reheating. Dipping in potassium sorbate solution prior to vacuum packaging was also tried. Hurdle treatment significantly (p <0.05) reduced the rate of deterioration of quality characteristics of pork sausages during storage, as indicated by TBARS and tyrosine values. Incorporation of hurdles decreased the growth of different spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. Combination of pH, water activity, vacuum packaging and reheating inhibited the growth of yeast and molds up to 12 days, while additional dipping of sausages in 1% potassium sorbate solution prior to packaging inhibited their growth even on 30(th) day of storage. Incorporation of hurdles resulted in initial reduction in all the sensory attributes, but they helped to maintain these attributes for significantly longer period compared to control. Hurdle treated sausages exhibited no spoilage signs even on day 30, while the control sausages were found acceptable only up to 18 days.

Helping military children cope with parental deployment: role of attachment theory and recommendations for mental health clinicians and counselors.

PubMed

Miller, Laurence; Miller, Halle B; Bjorklund, David

2010-01-01

Military deployment of a parent carries with it a number of stresses for children, all centering around uncertainty, instability and unpredictability. This article conceptualizes military deployment and relocation stress in the context of attachment theory, and describes the types of adverse outcomes that can occur as the result of impaired attachment. It then presents a set of practical recommendations for mental health clinicians and counselors for helping children and families cope productively and negotiate the developmental hurdles associated with maintaining healthy attachment and family stability in the face of military deployment.

Beating the Odds—Nothing Is Impossible, Its Just a Road Less Traveled

PubMed Central

Brady, Mike

2008-01-01

By contrasting students with learning disabilities and students with schizophrenia, it becomes conspicuously clear that they face many of the same hurdles. I know through personal experience because I have both. Postsecondary institutions are making great strides in balancing the scales for disabled students. Special education for learning-disabled students is more a hindrance than a benefit; mainstreaming many learning-disabled students seems a more appropriate option. Students need to take advantage of the services that are most beneficial to them. The least restrictive environment is predominantly, if not always, the correct choice. PMID:17420176

Beating the odds--nothing is impossible, its just a road less traveled.

PubMed

Brady, Mike

2008-03-01

By contrasting students with learning disabilities and students with schizophrenia, it becomes conspicuously clear that they face many of the same hurdles. I know through personal experience because I have both. Postsecondary institutions are making great strides in balancing the scales for disabled students. Special education for learning-disabled students is more a hindrance than a benefit; mainstreaming many learning-disabled students seems a more appropriate option. Students need to take advantage of the services that are most beneficial to them. The least restrictive environment is predominantly, if not always, the correct choice.

Healthcare Policy Statement on the Utility of Coronary Computed Tomography for Evaluation of Cardiovascular Conditions and Preventive Healthcare: From the Health Policy Working Group of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography.

PubMed

Slim, Ahmad M; Jerome, Scott; Blankstein, Ron; Weigold, Wm Guy; Patel, Amit R; Kalra, Dinesh K; Miller, Ryan; Branch, Kelley; Rabbat, Mark G; Hecht, Harvey; Nicol, Edward D; Villines, Todd C; Shaw, Leslee J

The rising cost of healthcare is prompting numerous policy and advocacy discussions regarding strategies for constraining growth and creating a more efficient and effective healthcare system. Cardiovascular imaging is central to the care of patients at risk of, and living with, heart disease. Estimates are that utilization of cardiovascular imaging exceeds 20 million studies per year. The Society of Cardiovascular CT (SCCT), alongside Rush University Medical Center, and in collaboration with government agencies, regional payers, and industry healthcare experts met in November 2016 in Chicago, IL to evaluate obstacles and hurdles facing the cardiovascular imaging community and how they can contribute to efficacy while maintaining or even improving outcomes and quality. The summit incorporated inputs from payers, providers, and patients' perspectives, providing a platform for all voices to be heard, allowing for a constructive dialogue with potential solutions moving forward. This article outlines the proceedings from the summit, with a detailed review of past hurdles, current status, and potential solutions as we move forward in an ever-changing healthcare landscape. Copyright © 2017 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. All rights reserved.

Total Quality Management in Higher Education: Clearing the Hurdles. A Survey on Strategies for Implementing Quality Management Practices in Higher Education. A GOAL/QPC Application Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seymour, Daniel

Based on a survey of Quality Management (QM) practitioners at 21 colleges, this study presents the 10 most difficult implementation hurdles to QM in higher education and a set of hurdle-clearing strategies. The hurdles are: (1) lack of time to implement QM; (2) perception that QM is something for janitorial and housing staffs but not applicable to…

Doctoral Research in Educational Leadership: Expectations for Those Thinking about an Advanced Degree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parks, David J.

2016-01-01

The tallest hurdle in completing a doctoral degree is the dissertation, which continues to be the primary capstone experience for the degree. Dissertation research is a mystery to many considering an advanced degree and can be intimidating to those who are unfamiliar with the nature of universities and doctoral research. In this report, the author…

B-cell depletion in SLE: clinical and trial experience with rituximab and ocrelizumab and implications for study design.

PubMed

Reddy, Venkat; Jayne, David; Close, David; Isenberg, David

2013-01-01

B cells are believed to be central to the disease process in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), making them a target for new therapeutic intervention. In recent years there have been many publications regarding the experience in SLE of B-cell depletion utilising rituximab, an anti-CD20 mAb that temporarily depletes B cells,reporting promising results in uncontrolled open studies and in routine clinical use. However, the two large randomised controlled trials in extra-renal lupus (EXPLORER study) and lupus nephritis (LUNAR study) failed to achieve their primary endpoints. Based on the clinical experience with rituximab this failure was somewhat unexpected and raised a number of questions and concerns, not only into the true level of benefit of B-cell depletion in a broad population but also how to test the true level of effectiveness of an investigational agent as we seek to improve the design of therapeutic trials in SLE. A better understanding of what went wrong in these trials is essential to elucidate the underlying reasons for the disparate observations noted in open studies and controlled trials. In this review, we focus on various factors that may affect the ability to accurately and confidently establish the level of treatment effect of the investigational agent, in this case rituximab, in the tw studies and explore hurdles faced in the randomised controlled trials investigating the efficacy of ocrelizumab, the humanised anti-CD20 mAb, in SLE. Further, based on the lessons learned from the clinical trials, we make suggestions that could be implemented in future clinical trial design to overcome the hurdles faced.

Biomechanical symmetry in elite rugby union players during dynamic tasks: an investigation using discrete and continuous data analysis techniques.

PubMed

Marshall, Brendan; Franklyn-Miller, Andrew; Moran, Kieran; King, Enda; Richter, Chris; Gore, Shane; Strike, Siobhán; Falvey, Éanna

2015-01-01

While measures of asymmetry may provide a means of identifying individuals predisposed to injury, normative asymmetry values for challenging sport specific movements in elite athletes are currently lacking in the literature. In addition, previous studies have typically investigated symmetry using discrete point analyses alone. This study examined biomechanical symmetry in elite rugby union players using both discrete point and continuous data analysis techniques. Twenty elite injury free international rugby union players (mean ± SD: age 20.4 ± 1.0 years; height 1.86 ± 0.08 m; mass 98.4 ± 9.9 kg) underwent biomechanical assessment. A single leg drop landing, a single leg hurdle hop, and a running cut were analysed. Peak joint angles and moments were examined in the discrete point analysis while analysis of characterising phases (ACP) techniques were used to examine the continuous data. Dominant side was compared to non-dominant side using dependent t-tests for normally distributed data or Wilcoxon signed-rank test for non-normally distributed data. The significance level was set at α = 0.05. The majority of variables were found to be symmetrical with a total of 57/60 variables displaying symmetry in the discrete point analysis and 55/60 in the ACP. The five variables that were found to be asymmetrical were hip abductor moment in the drop landing (p = 0.02), pelvis lift/drop in the drop landing (p = 0.04) and hurdle hop (p = 0.02), ankle internal rotation moment in the cut (p = 0.04) and ankle dorsiflexion angle also in the cut (p = 0.01). The ACP identified two additional asymmetries not identified in the discrete point analysis. Elite injury free rugby union players tended to exhibit bi-lateral symmetry across a range of biomechanical variables in a drop landing, hurdle hop and cut. This study provides useful normative values for inter-limb symmetry in these movement tests. When examining symmetry it is recommended to incorporate continuous data analysis techniques rather than a discrete point analysis alone; a discrete point analysis was unable to detect two of the five asymmetries identified.

The Component Packaging Problem: A Vehicle for the Development of Multidisciplinary Design and Analysis Methodologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fadel, Georges; Bridgewood, Michael; Figliola, Richard; Greenstein, Joel; Kostreva, Michael; Nowaczyk, Ronald; Stevenson, Steve

1999-01-01

This report summarizes academic research which has resulted in an increased appreciation for multidisciplinary efforts among our students, colleagues and administrators. It has also generated a number of research ideas that emerged from the interaction between disciplines. Overall, 17 undergraduate students and 16 graduate students benefited directly from the NASA grant: an additional 11 graduate students were impacted and participated without financial support from NASA. The work resulted in 16 theses (with 7 to be completed in the near future), 67 papers or reports mostly published in 8 journals and/or presented at various conferences (a total of 83 papers, presentations and reports published based on NASA inspired or supported work). In addition, the faculty and students presented related work at many meetings, and continuing work has been proposed to NSF, the Army, Industry and other state and federal institutions to continue efforts in the direction of multidisciplinary and recently multi-objective design and analysis. The specific problem addressed is component packing which was solved as a multi-objective problem using iterative genetic algorithms and decomposition. Further testing and refinement of the methodology developed is presently under investigation. Teaming issues research and classes resulted in the publication of a web site, (http://design.eng.clemson.edu/psych4991) which provides pointers and techniques to interested parties. Specific advantages of using iterative genetic algorithms, hurdles faced and resolved, and institutional difficulties associated with multi-discipline teaming are described in some detail.

Testing Chemical Safety: What Is Needed to Ensure the Widespread Application of Non-animal Approaches?

PubMed Central

Burden, Natalie; Sewell, Fiona; Chapman, Kathryn

2015-01-01

Scientists face growing pressure to move away from using traditional animal toxicity tests to determine whether manufactured chemicals are safe. Numerous ethical, scientific, business, and legislative incentives will help to drive this shift. However, a number of hurdles must be overcome in the coming years before non-animal methods are adopted into widespread practice, particularly from regulatory, scientific, and global perspectives. Several initiatives are nevertheless underway that promise to increase the confidence in newer alternative methods, which will support the move towards a future in which less data from animal tests is required in the assessment of chemical safety. PMID:26018957

Cutting-edge platforms in cardiac tissue engineering.

PubMed

Fleischer, Sharon; Feiner, Ron; Dvir, Tal

2017-10-01

As cardiac disease takes a higher toll with each passing year, the need for new therapies to deal with the scarcity in heart donors becomes ever more pressing. Cardiac tissue engineering holds the promise of creating functional replacement tissues to repair heart tissue damage. In an attempt to bridge the gap between the lab and clinical realization, the field has made major strides. In this review, we will discuss state of the art technologies such as layer-by-layer assembly, bioprinting and bionic tissue engineering, all developed to overcome some of the major hurdles faced in the field. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Ethics, empiricism and uncertainty].

PubMed

Porz, R; Zimmermann, H; Exadaktylos, A K

2011-01-01

Accidents can lead to difficult boundary situations. Such situations often take place in the emergency units. The medical team thus often and inevitably faces professional uncertainty in their decision-making. It is essential to communicate these uncertainties within the medical team, instead of downplaying or overriding existential hurdles in decision-making. Acknowledging uncertainties might lead to alert and prudent decisions. Thus uncertainty can have ethical value in treatment or withdrawal of treatment. It does not need to be covered in evidence-based arguments, especially as some singular situations of individual tragedies cannot be grasped in terms of evidence-based medicine. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Chimeric antigen receptor T cells: power tools to wipe out leukemia and lymphoma.

PubMed

Riet, Tobias; Abken, Hinrich

2015-08-01

Adoptive cell therapy for malignant diseases is showing promise in recent early-phase trials in the treatment of B cell leukemia/lymphoma. Genetically engineered with a tumor-specific chimeric antigen receptor, patient's T cells produce lasting and complete leukemia regression. However, treatment is associated with some toxicity which needs our attention and the field still faces some hurdles at the scientific, technologic and clinical levels. Surmounting these obstacles will establish chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy as a powerful approach to cure hematologic malignancies, paving the way for the treatment of other common types of cancer in the future.

The All Seeing Eye: Space-Based Persistent Surveillance in 2030

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

and ORS cannot. A GEO-based system can potentially deliver the ability to continuously monitor a theater-sized area with no concern of over flight ...paper investigates a geosynchronous orbit based surveillance system . Such a system would be beyond the reach of current anti-satellite weapons. However...significant technical hurdles remain to make such a system a reality. Operating in geosynchronous orbit affords a system the ability to remain

Public policy action and CCC implementation: benefits and hurdles

PubMed Central

Daniel, Kelley; Gurian, Gary L.; Petherick, J. T.; Stockmyer, Chris; David, Annette M.; Miller, Sara E.

2010-01-01

Policy change continues to be an increasingly effective means of advancing the agenda of comprehensive cancer control. Efforts have moved progressively from describing how public policy can enhance the comprehensive cancer control agenda to implementation of public policy best practices at both the state and federal levels. The current political and economic contexts bring additional challenges and opportunities to the efforts surrounding comprehensive cancer control and policy. The purpose of this paper is to highlight recent policy successes, to illustrate the importance of policy as a means of advancing the comprehensive cancer control agenda, and to discuss continued policy action as we move forward in a time of healthcare reform and continuing economic uncertainty. PMID:21086034

Public policy action and CCC implementation: benefits and hurdles.

PubMed

Steger, Carter; Daniel, Kelley; Gurian, Gary L; Petherick, J T; Stockmyer, Chris; David, Annette M; Miller, Sara E

2010-12-01

Policy change continues to be an increasingly effective means of advancing the agenda of comprehensive cancer control. Efforts have moved progressively from describing how public policy can enhance the comprehensive cancer control agenda to implementation of public policy best practices at both the state and federal levels. The current political and economic contexts bring additional challenges and opportunities to the efforts surrounding comprehensive cancer control and policy. The purpose of this paper is to highlight recent policy successes, to illustrate the importance of policy as a means of advancing the comprehensive cancer control agenda, and to discuss continued policy action as we move forward in a time of healthcare reform and continuing economic uncertainty.

(Ultra) High Pressure Homogenization for Continuous High Pressure Sterilization of Pumpable Foods – A Review

PubMed Central

Georget, Erika; Miller, Brittany; Callanan, Michael; Heinz, Volker; Mathys, Alexander

2014-01-01

Bacterial spores have a strong resistance to both chemical and physical hurdles and create a risk for the food industry, which has been tackled by applying high thermal intensity treatments to sterilize food. These strong thermal treatments lead to a reduction of the organoleptic and nutritional properties of food and alternatives are actively searched for. Innovative hurdles offer an alternative to inactivate bacterial spores. In particular, recent technological developments have enabled a new generation of high pressure homogenizer working at pressures up to 400 MPa and thus, opening new opportunities for high pressure sterilization of foods. In this short review, we summarize the work conducted on (ultra) high pressure homogenization (U)HPH to inactivate endospores in model and food systems. Specific attention is given to process parameters (pressure, inlet, and valve temperatures). This review gathers the current state of the art and underlines the potential of UHPH sterilization of pumpable foods while highlighting the needs for future work. PMID:25988118

Censored Hurdle Negative Binomial Regression (Case Study: Neonatorum Tetanus Case in Indonesia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuli Rusdiana, Riza; Zain, Ismaini; Wulan Purnami, Santi

2017-06-01

Hurdle negative binomial model regression is a method that can be used for discreate dependent variable, excess zero and under- and overdispersion. It uses two parts approach. The first part estimates zero elements from dependent variable is zero hurdle model and the second part estimates not zero elements (non-negative integer) from dependent variable is called truncated negative binomial models. The discrete dependent variable in such cases is censored for some values. The type of censor that will be studied in this research is right censored. This study aims to obtain the parameter estimator hurdle negative binomial regression for right censored dependent variable. In the assessment of parameter estimation methods used Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE). Hurdle negative binomial model regression for right censored dependent variable is applied on the number of neonatorum tetanus cases in Indonesia. The type data is count data which contains zero values in some observations and other variety value. This study also aims to obtain the parameter estimator and test statistic censored hurdle negative binomial model. Based on the regression results, the factors that influence neonatorum tetanus case in Indonesia is the percentage of baby health care coverage and neonatal visits.

The Application of the Haddon Matrix to Public Health Readiness and Response Planning

PubMed Central

Barnett, Daniel J.; Balicer, Ran D.; Blodgett, David; Fews, Ayanna L.; Parker, Cindy L.; Links, Jonathan M.

2005-01-01

State and local health departments continue to face unprecedented challenges in preparing for, recognizing, and responding to threats to the public’s health. The attacks of 11 September 2001 and the ensuing anthrax mailings of 2001 highlighted the public health readiness and response hurdles posed by intentionally caused injury and illness. At the same time, recent natural disasters have highlighted the need for comparable public health readiness and response capabilities. Public health readiness and response activities can be conceptualized similarly for intentional attacks, natural disasters, and human-caused accidents. Consistent with this view, the federal government has adopted the all-hazards response model as its fundamental paradigm. Adoption of this paradigm provides powerful improvements in efficiency and efficacy, because it reduces the need to create a complex family of situation-specific preparedness and response activities. However, in practice, public health preparedness requires additional models and tools to provide a framework to better understand and prioritize emergency readiness and response needs, as well as to facilitate solutions; this is particularly true at the local health department level. Here, we propose to extend the use of the Haddon matrix—a conceptual model used for more than two decades in injury prevention and response strategies—for this purpose. PMID:15866764

Educational pipelines of nurses in Texas: promoting academic mobility through partnerships.

PubMed

Darnall, Emily D; Kishi, Aileen; Wiebusch, Pamela

2011-01-01

Texas, like many states across the nation, is struggling to position itself to achieve the Institute of Medicine (IOM) recommendations on the future of nursing. This article provides insights into the hurdles faced by Texas in achieving some of the IOM goals, particularly those related to a better educated nursing workforce. Only 9% of actively licensed nurses have pursued higher degrees, putting Texas below the national average. Currently, there is a gap between actual academic mobility and national recommendations to increase the numbers of baccalaureate- and doctorate-prepared nurses by 2020. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the educational pipeline in the state of Texas while suggesting partnerships as a solution to promote academic mobility. This cross-sectional study evaluated the academic mobility of four selected cohorts of nurses who have been in practice for 5 to 20 years. The findings revealed limited academic mobility compared with national benchmarks among all cohorts, regardless of basic degree and length in the profession. Educational pipelines for nurses need to be more dynamic in Texas than current trends reflect. Collaboration and partnerships between academics, clinicians, administrators, employers, and policy makers should be developed to address barriers that are deterring nurses from continuing their education. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Discovery of innovative therapeutics: today's realities and tomorrow's vision. 2. Pharma's challenges and their commitment to innovation.

PubMed

Abou-Gharbia, Magid; Childers, Wayne E

2014-07-10

The pharmaceutical industry is facing enormous challenges, including reduced efficiency, stagnant success rate, patent expirations for key drugs, fierce price competition from generics, high regulatory hurdles, and the industry's perceived tarnished image. Pharma has responded by embarking on a range of initiatives. Other sectors, including NIH, have also responded. Academic drug discovery groups have appeared to support the transition of innovative academic discoveries and ideas into attractive drug discovery opportunities. Part 1 of this two-part series discussed the criticisms that have been leveled at the pharmaceutical industry over the past 3 decades and summarized the supporting data for and against these criticisms. This second installment will focus on the current challenges facing the pharmaceutical industry and Pharma's responses, focusing on the industry's changing perspective and new business models for coping with the loss of talent and declining clinical pipelines as well as presenting some examples of recent drug discovery successes.

Challenges and future perspectives of T cell immunotherapy in cancer

PubMed Central

de Aquino, Maria Teresa P; Malhotra, Anshu; Mishra, Manoj K; Shanker, Anil

2015-01-01

Since the formulation of the tumour immunosurveillance theory, considerable focus has been on enhancing the effectiveness of host antitumour immunity, particularly with respect to T cells. A cancer evades or alters the host immune response by various ways to ensure its development and survival. These include modifications of the immune cell metabolism and T cell signaling. An inhibitory cytokine milieu in the tumour microenvironment also leads to immune suppression and tumour progression within a host. This review traces the development in the field and attempts to summarize the hurdles that the approach of adoptive T cell immunotherapy against cancer faces, and discusses the conditions that must be improved to allow effective eradication of cancer. PMID:26096822

Hurdles in tissue engineering/regenerative medicine product commercialization: a survey of North American academia and industry.

PubMed

Johnson, Peter C; Bertram, Timothy A; Tawil, Bill; Hellman, Kiki B

2011-01-01

The Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society-North America (TERMIS-NA) Industry Committee was formed in February 2009 to address the common roadblocks (i.e., hurdles) in the commercialization of tissue engineering/regenerative medicine products for its members. A semiquantitative online opinion survey instrument that delineated potentially sensitive hurdles to commercialization in each of the TERMIS constituency groups that generally participate in the stream of technology commercialization (academia, startup companies, development-stage companies, and established companies) was developed. The survey was opened to each of the 863 members of TERMIS-NA for a period of 5 weeks from October to November 2009. By its conclusion, 215 members (25%) had responded. Their proportionate numbers were closely representative of TERMIS-NA constituencies. The resulting data delineate what each group considers to be its most difficult and also its easiest hurdles in taking a technology to full product development. In addition, each group ranked its perception of the difficult and easy hurdles for all other groups, enabling an assessment of the degree of understanding between groups. The data depict not only critical hurdles in the path to commercialization at each stage in product development but also a variable understanding of perceptions of hurdles between groups. This assessment has provided the Industry Committee with activity foci needed to assist individual groups in the technology-commercialization stream. Moreover, the analysis suggests that enhanced communication between groups engaged in commercialization will be critical to the successful development of products in the tissue engineering/regenerative medicine sector.

The quest for resilience.

PubMed

Hamel, Gary; Välikangas, Liisa

2003-09-01

In less turbulent times, executives had the luxury of assuming that business models were more or less immortal. Companies always had to work to get better, but they seldom had to get different--not at their core, not in their essence. Today, getting different is the imperative. It's the challenge facing Coca-Cola as it struggles to raise its "share of throat" in noncarbonated beverages. It's the task that bedevils McDonald's as it tries to restart its growth in a burger-weary world. It's the hurdle for Sun Microsystems as it searches for ways to protect its high-margin server business from the Linux onslaught. Continued success no longer hinges on momentum. Rather, it rides on resilience-on the ability to dynamically reinvent business models and strategies as circumstances change. Strategic resilience is not about responding to a onetime crisis or rebounding from a setback. It's about continually anticipating and adjusting to deep, secular trends that can permanently impair the earning power of a core business. It's about having the capacity to change even before the case for change becomes obvious. To thrive in turbulent times, companies must become as efficient at renewal as they are at producing today's products and services. To achieve strategic resilience, companies will have to overcome the cognitive challenge of eliminating denial, nostalgia, and arrogance; the strategic challenge of learning how to create a wealth of small tactical experiments; the political challenge of reallocating financial and human resources to where they can earn the best returns; and the ideological challenge of learning that strategic renewal is as important as optimization.

Patents and nanomedicine.

PubMed

Bawa, Raj

2007-06-01

Big pharma's business model, which relies on a few blockbusters to generate profits, is clearly broken. Patent expiration on numerous blockbusters in recent years is already altering the drug landscape. Drug companies are also facing other challenges that necessitate development and implementation of novel R&D strategies, including those that focus on nanotechnology and miniaturization. Clearly, there is enormous excitement and expectation regarding nanomedicine's potential impact. However, securing valid and defensible patent protection will be critical. Although early forecasts for nanomedicine commercialization are encouraging, there are numerous bottlenecks as well. One of the major hurdles is an emerging thicket of patent claims, resulting primarily from patent proliferation as well as continued issuance of surprisingly broad patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). Adding to this confusion is the fact that the US National Nanotechnology Initiative's widely cited definition of nanotechnology is inaccurate and irrelevant from a nanomedicine perspective. It is also the cause of the inadequate patent classification system that was recently unveiled by the PTO. All of this is creating a chaotic, tangled patent landscape in various sectors of nanomedicine where the competing players are unsure of the validity and enforceability of numerous issued patents. If this trend continues, it could stifle competition and limit access to some inventions. Therefore, reforms are urgently needed at the PTO to address problems ranging from poor patent quality and questionable examination practices to inadequate search capabilities, rising attrition, poor employee morale and a skyrocketing patent application backlog. Only a robust patent system will stimulate the development of commercially viable nanomedicine products that can drastically improve a patient's quality of life and reduce healthcare costs.

Managing scientific complexity in public policy: the case of U.S. climate change legislation in the 111th Congress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mueller, J. A.; Runci, P. J.

2009-12-01

The recent passage of the American Climate and Energy Security Act by the U.S. House of Representatives in June of this year was a landmark in U.S. efforts to move climate change legislation through Congress. Although an historic achievement, the bill (and surrounding debate) highlights many concerns about the processes by which lawmakers and the public inform themselves about scientifically relevant problems and, subsequently, by which policy responses are crafted in a context of complexity, uncertainty, and competition for resources and attention. In light of the ever-increasing specialization of expertise in the sciences and other technical fields, and the inherent complexity of scientifically relevant problems such as climate change, society faces significant hurdles in its efforts to integrate knowledge and develop sufficient understanding of these problems to which it must respond with legislation or other effective collective or individual action. The emergence of a new class of experts who act as science-policy brokers may not be sufficient to cross these hurdles. Herein, we explore how society and the scientific community in particular can work toward closing the ever-growing gap between technical knowledge and society’s ability to comprehend and use it. Both authors are currently legislative fellows working on energy and climate change issues in the U.S. Senate.

Informed consent for and regulation of critical care research.

PubMed

Lemaire, François

2008-12-01

Critical care is a special area in which research needs to take place, because of the severity of the diseases which are treated there, but it is also a place where research faces a lot of hurdles and difficulties. The main cause of difficulties is the consent issue, as most patients cannot consent for themselves. Recently, all national legislations in the countries of the European Union have been modified to include the provisions of directive 2001/20. This review article provides a summary of the recent literature concerning the issue of consent for clinical care research such as how the surrogate consent reflects the view of the patient and how time consuming and inaccurate can be the consultation of a community before the start of a trial with a waiver of consent. Another hurdle to research is the rigidity of our legislations concerning clinical research, especially the absence of a simplified way for low or no-risk research. This article shows how this situation is potentially deleterious and how it could ultimately forbid low-risk research. Critical research remains a domain in which research on patients is difficult and controversial. Regulation can be difficult to implement, largely inadequate or uselessly complicated. Intensive care physicians need to keep pressure on politicians and lawmakers to constantly explain the necessity and specificities of critical care research.

Hurdles and sorting by inversions: combinatorial, statistical, and experimental results.

PubMed

Swenson, Krister M; Lin, Yu; Rajan, Vaibhav; Moret, Bernard M E

2009-10-01

As data about genomic architecture accumulates, genomic rearrangements have attracted increasing attention. One of the main rearrangement mechanisms, inversions (also called reversals), was characterized by Hannenhalli and Pevzner and this characterization in turn extended by various authors. The characterization relies on the concepts of breakpoints, cycles, and obstructions colorfully named hurdles and fortresses. In this paper, we study the probability of generating a hurdle in the process of sorting a permutation if one does not take special precautions to avoid them (as in a randomized algorithm, for instance). To do this we revisit and extend the work of Caprara and of Bergeron by providing simple and exact characterizations of the probability of encountering a hurdle in a random permutation. Using similar methods we provide the first asymptotically tight analysis of the probability that a fortress exists in a random permutation. Finally, we study other aspects of hurdles, both analytically and through experiments: when are they created in a sequence of sorting inversions, how much later are they detected, and how much work may need to be undone to return to a sorting sequence.

Hurdle models for multilevel zero-inflated data via h-likelihood.

PubMed

Molas, Marek; Lesaffre, Emmanuel

2010-12-30

Count data often exhibit overdispersion. One type of overdispersion arises when there is an excess of zeros in comparison with the standard Poisson distribution. Zero-inflated Poisson and hurdle models have been proposed to perform a valid likelihood-based analysis to account for the surplus of zeros. Further, data often arise in clustered, longitudinal or multiple-membership settings. The proper analysis needs to reflect the design of a study. Typically random effects are used to account for dependencies in the data. We examine the h-likelihood estimation and inference framework for hurdle models with random effects for complex designs. We extend the h-likelihood procedures to fit hurdle models, thereby extending h-likelihood to truncated distributions. Two applications of the methodology are presented. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Historical precedence and technical requirements of biological weapons use : a threat assessment.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Estes, Daniel P.; Vogel, Kathleen Margaret; Gaudioso, Jennifer Marie

2004-05-01

The threat from biological weapons is assessed through both a comparative historical analysis of the patterns of biological weapons use and an assessment of the technological hurdles to proliferation and use that must be overcome. The history of biological weapons is studied to learn how agents have been acquired and what types of states and substate actors have used agents. Substate actors have generally been more willing than states to use pathogens and toxins and they have focused on those agents that are more readily available. There has been an increasing trend of bioterrorism incidents over the past century, butmore » states and substate actors have struggled with one or more of the necessary technological steps. These steps include acquisition of a suitable agent, production of an appropriate quantity and form, and effective deployment. The technological hurdles associated with the steps present a real barrier to producing a high consequence event. However, the ever increasing technological sophistication of society continually lowers the barriers, resulting in a low but increasing probability of a high consequence bioterrorism event.« less

The insights of health and welfare professionals on hurdles that impede economic evaluations of welfare interventions.

PubMed

Schepers, J; Plaete, J; De Bourdeaudhuij, I; Annemans, L; Simoens, S

2017-08-01

Four hurdles associated with economic evaluations in welfare interventions were identified and discussed in a previous published literature review. These hurdles include (i) 'Ignoring the impact of condition-specific outcomes', (ii) 'Ignoring the impact of QoL externalities', (iii) 'Calculation of costs from a too narrow perspective' and (iv) 'The lack of well-described & standardized interventions'. This study aims to determine how healthcare providers and social workers experience and deal with these hurdles in practice and what solutions or new insights they would suggest. Twenty-two professionals of welfare interventions carried out in Flanders, were interviewed about the four described hurdles using a semi-structured interview. A thematic framework was developed to enable the qualitative analysis. The analysis of the semi-structured interviews was facilitated through the use of the software program QRS NVivo 10. The interviews revealed a clear need to tackle these hurdles. The interviewees confirmed that further study of condition-specific outcomes in economic evaluations are needed, especially in the field of mental health and stress. The proposed dimensions for the condition-specific questionnaires varied however between the groups of interviewees (i.e. general practitioners vs social workers). With respect to QoL externalities, the interviewees confirmed that welfare interventions have an impact on the social environment of the patient (friends and family). There was however no consensus on how this impact of QoL externalities should be taken into account in welfare interventions. Professionals also suggested that besides health care costs, the impact of welfare interventions on work productivity, the patients' social life and other items should be incorporated. Standardization appears to be of limited added value for most of the interviewees because they need a certain degree of freedom to interpret the intervention. Furthermore, the target population of the interventions is diverse which requires a tailor-made approach. This qualitative research demonstrated that these hurdles occur in practice. The proposed solutions for these hurdles can contribute to the improvement of the methodological quality of economic evaluations of welfare interventions.

Microbial fuel cells for biosensor applications.

PubMed

Yang, Huijia; Zhou, Minghua; Liu, Mengmeng; Yang, Weilu; Gu, Tingyue

2015-12-01

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) face major hurdles for real-world applications as power generators with the exception of powering small sensor devices. Despite tremendous improvements made in the last two decades, MFCs are still too expensive to build and operate and their power output is still too small. In view of this, in recently years, intensive researches have been carried out to expand the applications into other areas such as acid and alkali production, bioremediation of aquatic sediments, desalination and biosensors. Unlike power applications, MFC sensors have the immediate prospect to be practical. This review covers the latest developments in various proposed biosensor applications using MFCs including monitoring microbial activity, testing biochemical oxygen demand, detection of toxicants and detection of microbial biofilms that cause biocorrosion.

Radiation-tolerant microprocessors in Japanese scientific space vehicles: how to maximize the benefits of commercial SOI technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobayashi, Daisuke; Hirose, Kazuyuki; Saito, Hirobumi

2013-05-01

Development of semiconductor devices not only for harsh radiation environments such as space but also for ground-based applications now faces a major hurdle of radiation problems. Necessary is protecting chips from malfunctions due to sub-nanosecond transient noises induced by radiation. As a protection technique using the silicon-on-insulator structure is often suggested, but the use in fact requires devices and circuits carefully optimized for maximizing its benefits. Mainly describing theoretical and experimental characterization of the transient effects, this paper presents a comprehensive study on radiation responses of commercial silicon-on- insulator technologies, which study results in a space-use low-power system-on-chip with a 100-MIPS RISC-based core.

Business of biosimilars - 14th annual conference (October 15-17, 2013 - Boston, Massachusetts, USA).

PubMed

Bourgoin, A

2013-12-01

Competition in the biological market offers a new set of opportunities and challenges within the healthcare industry. Biosimilars, like generic small-molecule drugs, can provide cost savings and increase patient access, while also promoting innovation. While large molecule manufacturers face many challenges unique to complex therapeutics, it is becoming clear that the commercialization of biosimilars shares many of the same hurdles as the generics market. The 14th Annual Business of Biosimilars Conference provided quality presentations from industry leaders regarding many commercial considerations for stakeholders interested in entering the biosimilars market. Opportunities to network with industry experts were offered, with over 120 attendees. Copyright 2013 Prous Science, S.A.U. or its licensors. All rights reserved.

Innovations in Wind and Solar PV Financing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cory, K.; Coughlin, J.; Jenkin, T.

2008-02-01

There is growing national interest in renewable energy development based on the economic, environmental, and security benefits that these resources provide. Historically, greater development of our domestic renewable energy resources has faced a number of hurdles, primarily related to cost, regulation, and financing. With the recent sustained increase in the costs and associated volatility of fossil fuels, the economics of renewable energy technologies have become increasingly attractive to investors, both large and small. As a result, new entrants are investing in renewable energy and new business models are emerging. This study surveys some of the current issues related to windmore » and solar photovoltaic (PV) energy project financing in the electric power industry, and identifies both barriers to and opportunities for increased investment.« less

Genetic privacy in sports: clearing the hurdles.

PubMed

Callier, Shawneequa

2012-12-01

As genomic medicine continues to advance and inform clinical care, knowledge gained is likely to influence sports medicine and training practices. Susceptibility to injury, sudden cardiac failure, and other serious conditions may one day be tackled on a subclinical level through genetic testing programs. In addition, athletes may increasingly consider using genetic testing services to maximize their performance potential. This paper assesses the role of privacy and genetic discrimination laws that would apply to athletes who engage in genetic testing and the limits of these protections.

Zero adjusted models with applications to analysing helminths count data.

PubMed

Chipeta, Michael G; Ngwira, Bagrey M; Simoonga, Christopher; Kazembe, Lawrence N

2014-11-27

It is common in public health and epidemiology that the outcome of interest is counts of events occurrence. Analysing these data using classical linear models is mostly inappropriate, even after transformation of outcome variables due to overdispersion. Zero-adjusted mixture count models such as zero-inflated and hurdle count models are applied to count data when over-dispersion and excess zeros exist. Main objective of the current paper is to apply such models to analyse risk factors associated with human helminths (S. haematobium) particularly in a case where there's a high proportion of zero counts. The data were collected during a community-based randomised control trial assessing the impact of mass drug administration (MDA) with praziquantel in Malawi, and a school-based cross sectional epidemiology survey in Zambia. Count data models including traditional (Poisson and negative binomial) models, zero modified models (zero inflated Poisson and zero inflated negative binomial) and hurdle models (Poisson logit hurdle and negative binomial logit hurdle) were fitted and compared. Using Akaike information criteria (AIC), the negative binomial logit hurdle (NBLH) and zero inflated negative binomial (ZINB) showed best performance in both datasets. With regards to zero count capturing, these models performed better than other models. This paper showed that zero modified NBLH and ZINB models are more appropriate methods for the analysis of data with excess zeros. The choice between the hurdle and zero-inflated models should be based on the aim and endpoints of the study.

Health Management Information System utilization in Pakistan: challenges, pitfalls and the way forward.

PubMed

Qazi, Muhammad Suleman; Ali, Moazzam

2011-12-01

Use of data generated through the Health Management Information System (HMIS) in decision making has been facing various challenges ever since its inception in Pakistan. This descriptive qualitative study attempts to explore the perceptions of health managers to identify the status and issues in use of HMIS. Overall 26 managers (all men, ages ranging from 26 to 49 years; selected from federal level (2), provincial (4) and seven selected districts (20) from all four provinces) were interviewed face to face. The respondents identified a number of hurdles resulting in non-use, misuse and disuse of data. These included limited scope of HMIS, dubious data quality, political motives behind demand of data and an element of corruption in data reporting etc. A great deal of political and administrative will is required to institutionalize transparency in decision making in health management and HMIS is an important tool for doing so. Appropriate legislation and regulations are needed to create a conducive policy environment that would help in changing the existing decision making culture. The effective use of information requires that besides capacity development of district health managers in understanding and use of data, the higher level decision makers are provided with relevant data timely and in an easily understandable form along with the recommended actions pertinent to this data.

Development of pediatric vaccine recommendations and policies.

PubMed

Pickering, Larry K; Orenstein, Walter A

2002-07-01

A significant decrease in each vaccine-preventable disease has occurred since the introduction of the respective immunizations now included in the recommended childhood immunization schedule. The process through which a vaccine must travel from development to approval and implementation is complex. Hurdles include receiving approval from several advisory committees, government agencies, and professional organizations. At each step in the process, data regarding safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy are evaluated continuously and rigorously. Once a vaccine is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and incorporated into the recommended childhood immunization schedule, continuing issues include those that deal with supply, safety, effectiveness, and financing. The logistics of development and implementation of pediatric vaccine recommendations and policies are reviewed.

Spatiotemporal hurdle models for zero-inflated count data: Exploring trends in emergency department visits.

PubMed

Neelon, Brian; Chang, Howard H; Ling, Qiang; Hastings, Nicole S

2016-12-01

Motivated by a study exploring spatiotemporal trends in emergency department use, we develop a class of two-part hurdle models for the analysis of zero-inflated areal count data. The models consist of two components-one for the probability of any emergency department use and one for the number of emergency department visits given use. Through a hierarchical structure, the models incorporate both patient- and region-level predictors, as well as spatially and temporally correlated random effects for each model component. The random effects are assigned multivariate conditionally autoregressive priors, which induce dependence between the components and provide spatial and temporal smoothing across adjacent spatial units and time periods, resulting in improved inferences. To accommodate potential overdispersion, we consider a range of parametric specifications for the positive counts, including truncated negative binomial and generalized Poisson distributions. We adopt a Bayesian inferential approach, and posterior computation is handled conveniently within standard Bayesian software. Our results indicate that the negative binomial and generalized Poisson hurdle models vastly outperform the Poisson hurdle model, demonstrating that overdispersed hurdle models provide a useful approach to analyzing zero-inflated spatiotemporal data. © The Author(s) 2014.

Neuromuscular blockade in cardiac surgery: an update for clinicians.

PubMed

Hemmerling, Thomas M; Russo, Gianluca; Bracco, David

2008-01-01

There have been great advancements in cardiac surgery over the last two decades; the widespread use of off-pump aortocoronary bypass surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, and robotic surgery have also changed the face of cardiac anaesthesia. The concept of "Fast-track anaesthesia" demands the use of nondepolarising neuromuscular blocking drugs with short duration of action, combining the ability to provide (if necessary) sufficiently profound neuromuscular blockade during surgery and immediate re-establishment of normal neuromuscular transmission at the end of surgery. Postoperative residual muscle paralysis is one of the major hurdles for immediate or early extubation after cardiac surgery. Nondepolarising neuromuscular blocking drugs for cardiac surgery should therefore be easy to titrate, of rapid onset and short duration of action with a pathway of elimination independent from hepatic or renal dysfunction, and should equally not affect haemodynamic stability. The difference between repetitive bolus application and continuous infusion is outlined in this review, with the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic characteristics of vecuronium, pancuronium, rocuronium, and cisatracurium. Kinemyography and acceleromyography are the most important currently used neuromuscular monitoring methods. Whereas monitoring at the adductor pollicis muscle is appropriate at the end of surgery, monitoring of the corrugator supercilii muscle better reflects neuromuscular blockade at more central, profound muscles, such as the diaphragm, larynx, or thoraco-abdominal muscles. In conclusion, cisatracurium or rocuronium is recommended for neuromuscular blockade in modern cardiac surgery.

Non-invasive activation of optogenetic actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birkner, Elisabeth; Berglund, Ken; Klein, Marguerita E.; Augustine, George J.; Hochgeschwender, Ute

2014-03-01

The manipulation of genetically targeted neurons with light (optogenetics) continues to provide unprecedented avenues into studying the function of the mammalian brain. However, potential translation into the clinical arena faces a number of significant hurdles, foremost among them the need for insertion of optical fibers into the brain to deliver light to opsins expressed on neuronal membranes. In order to overcome these hardware-related problems, we have developed an alternative strategy for delivering light to opsins which does not involve fiber implants. Rather, the light is produced by a protein, luciferase, which oxidizes intravenously applied substrate, thereby emitting bioluminescence. In proof-ofprinciple studies employing a fusion protein of a light-generating luciferase to a light-sensing opsin (luminopsin), we showed that light emitted by Gaussia luciferase is indeed able to activate channelrhodopsin, allowing modulation of neuronal activity when expressed in cultured neurons. Here we assessed applicability of the concept in vivo in mice expressing luminopsins from viral vectors and from genetically engineered transgenes. The experiments demonstrate that intravenously applied substrate reaches neurons in the brain, causing the luciferase to produce bioluminescence which can be imaged in vivo, and that activation of channelrhodopsin by bioluminescence is sufficient to affect behavior. Further developments of such technology based on combining optogenetics with bioluminescence - i.e. combining lightsensing molecules with biologically produced light through luciferases - should bring optogenetics closer to clinical applications.

Defining the critical hurdles in cancer immunotherapy.

PubMed

Fox, Bernard A; Schendel, Dolores J; Butterfield, Lisa H; Aamdal, Steinar; Allison, James P; Ascierto, Paolo Antonio; Atkins, Michael B; Bartunkova, Jirina; Bergmann, Lothar; Berinstein, Neil; Bonorino, Cristina C; Borden, Ernest; Bramson, Jonathan L; Britten, Cedrik M; Cao, Xuetao; Carson, William E; Chang, Alfred E; Characiejus, Dainius; Choudhury, A Raja; Coukos, George; de Gruijl, Tanja; Dillman, Robert O; Dolstra, Harry; Dranoff, Glenn; Durrant, Lindy G; Finke, James H; Galon, Jerome; Gollob, Jared A; Gouttefangeas, Cécile; Grizzi, Fabio; Guida, Michele; Håkansson, Leif; Hege, Kristen; Herberman, Ronald B; Hodi, F Stephen; Hoos, Axel; Huber, Christoph; Hwu, Patrick; Imai, Kohzoh; Jaffee, Elizabeth M; Janetzki, Sylvia; June, Carl H; Kalinski, Pawel; Kaufman, Howard L; Kawakami, Koji; Kawakami, Yutaka; Keilholtz, Ulrich; Khleif, Samir N; Kiessling, Rolf; Kotlan, Beatrix; Kroemer, Guido; Lapointe, Rejean; Levitsky, Hyam I; Lotze, Michael T; Maccalli, Cristina; Maio, Michele; Marschner, Jens-Peter; Mastrangelo, Michael J; Masucci, Giuseppe; Melero, Ignacio; Melief, Cornelius; Murphy, William J; Nelson, Brad; Nicolini, Andrea; Nishimura, Michael I; Odunsi, Kunle; Ohashi, Pamela S; O'Donnell-Tormey, Jill; Old, Lloyd J; Ottensmeier, Christian; Papamichail, Michael; Parmiani, Giorgio; Pawelec, Graham; Proietti, Enrico; Qin, Shukui; Rees, Robert; Ribas, Antoni; Ridolfi, Ruggero; Ritter, Gerd; Rivoltini, Licia; Romero, Pedro J; Salem, Mohamed L; Scheper, Rik J; Seliger, Barbara; Sharma, Padmanee; Shiku, Hiroshi; Singh-Jasuja, Harpreet; Song, Wenru; Straten, Per Thor; Tahara, Hideaki; Tian, Zhigang; van Der Burg, Sjoerd H; von Hoegen, Paul; Wang, Ena; Welters, Marij Jp; Winter, Hauke; Withington, Tara; Wolchok, Jedd D; Xiao, Weihua; Zitvogel, Laurence; Zwierzina, Heinz; Marincola, Francesco M; Gajewski, Thomas F; Wigginton, Jon M; Disis, Mary L

2011-12-14

Scientific discoveries that provide strong evidence of antitumor effects in preclinical models often encounter significant delays before being tested in patients with cancer. While some of these delays have a scientific basis, others do not. We need to do better. Innovative strategies need to move into early stage clinical trials as quickly as it is safe, and if successful, these therapies should efficiently obtain regulatory approval and widespread clinical application. In late 2009 and 2010 the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), convened an "Immunotherapy Summit" with representatives from immunotherapy organizations representing Europe, Japan, China and North America to discuss collaborations to improve development and delivery of cancer immunotherapy. One of the concepts raised by SITC and defined as critical by all parties was the need to identify hurdles that impede effective translation of cancer immunotherapy. With consensus on these hurdles, international working groups could be developed to make recommendations vetted by the participating organizations. These recommendations could then be considered by regulatory bodies, governmental and private funding agencies, pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions to facilitate changes necessary to accelerate clinical translation of novel immune-based cancer therapies. The critical hurdles identified by representatives of the collaborating organizations, now organized as the World Immunotherapy Council, are presented and discussed in this report. Some of the identified hurdles impede all investigators; others hinder investigators only in certain regions or institutions or are more relevant to specific types of immunotherapy or first-in-humans studies. Each of these hurdles can significantly delay clinical translation of promising advances in immunotherapy yet if overcome, have the potential to improve outcomes of patients with cancer.

Defining the critical hurdles in cancer immunotherapy

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Scientific discoveries that provide strong evidence of antitumor effects in preclinical models often encounter significant delays before being tested in patients with cancer. While some of these delays have a scientific basis, others do not. We need to do better. Innovative strategies need to move into early stage clinical trials as quickly as it is safe, and if successful, these therapies should efficiently obtain regulatory approval and widespread clinical application. In late 2009 and 2010 the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), convened an "Immunotherapy Summit" with representatives from immunotherapy organizations representing Europe, Japan, China and North America to discuss collaborations to improve development and delivery of cancer immunotherapy. One of the concepts raised by SITC and defined as critical by all parties was the need to identify hurdles that impede effective translation of cancer immunotherapy. With consensus on these hurdles, international working groups could be developed to make recommendations vetted by the participating organizations. These recommendations could then be considered by regulatory bodies, governmental and private funding agencies, pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions to facilitate changes necessary to accelerate clinical translation of novel immune-based cancer therapies. The critical hurdles identified by representatives of the collaborating organizations, now organized as the World Immunotherapy Council, are presented and discussed in this report. Some of the identified hurdles impede all investigators; others hinder investigators only in certain regions or institutions or are more relevant to specific types of immunotherapy or first-in-humans studies. Each of these hurdles can significantly delay clinical translation of promising advances in immunotherapy yet if overcome, have the potential to improve outcomes of patients with cancer. PMID:22168571

Nutritionally enhanced food crops; progress and perspectives.

PubMed

Hefferon, Kathleen L

2015-02-11

Great progress has been made over the past decade with respect to the application of biotechnology to generate nutritionally improved food crops. Biofortified staple crops such as rice, maize and wheat harboring essential micronutrients to benefit the world's poor are under development as well as new varieties of crops which have the ability to combat chronic disease. This review discusses the improvement of the nutritional status of crops to make a positive impact on global human health. Several examples of nutritionally enhanced crops which have been developed using biotechnological approaches will be discussed. These range from biofortified crops to crops with novel abilities to fight disease. The review concludes with a discussion of hurdles faced with respect to public perception, as well as directions of future research and development for nutritionally enhanced food crops.

Protein engineering in designing tailored enzymes and microorganisms for biofuels production

PubMed Central

Wen, Fei; Nair, Nikhil U; Zhao, Huimin

2009-01-01

Summary Lignocellulosic biofuels represent a sustainable, renewable, and the only foreseeable alternative energy source to transportation fossil fuels. However, the recalcitrant nature of lignocellulose poses technical hurdles to an economically viable biorefinery. Low enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency and low productivity, yield, and titer of biofuels are among the top cost contributors. Protein engineering has been used to improve the performances of lignocellulose-degrading enzymes, as well as proteins involved in biofuel synthesis pathways. Unlike its great success seen in other industrial applications, protein engineering has achieved only modest results in improving the lignocellulose-to-biofuels efficiency. This review will discuss the unique challenges that protein engineering faces in the process of converting lignocellulose to biofuels and how they are addressed by recent advances in this field. PMID:19660930

Composite boson mapping for lattice boson systems.

PubMed

Huerga, Daniel; Dukelsky, Jorge; Scuseria, Gustavo E

2013-07-26

We present a canonical mapping transforming physical boson operators into quadratic products of cluster composite bosons that preserves matrix elements of operators when a physical constraint is enforced. We map the 2D lattice Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian into 2×2 composite bosons and solve it within a generalized Hartree-Bogoliubov approximation. The resulting Mott insulator-superfluid phase diagram reproduces well quantum Monte Carlo results. The Higgs boson behavior in the superfluid phase along the unit density line is unraveled and in remarkable agreement with experiments. Results for the properties of the ground and excited states are competitive with other state-of-the-art approaches, but at a fraction of their computational cost. The composite boson mapping here introduced can be readily applied to frustrated many-body systems where most methodologies face significant hurdles.

Healthcare e-commerce: connecting with patients.

PubMed

Joslyn, J S

2001-01-01

Electronically connecting with patients is a challenging frontier at which technical hurdles are probably exceeded by political, legal, and other barriers. The rise of consumerism, however, compels a response focused more on revenue and strategic advantage than on pure cost savings. Among the difficulties faced by providers is choosing among various models of connectivity and component function. Emerging models include "free-floating" personal medical records largely independent of the office-based physician, systems with compatible and intertwined physician and consumer relationships using an application services provider office practice system, and systems that connect patients and providers through e-mail, office triage, prescription refills, scheduling, and so on. This article discusses these and other combinations of technology that significantly overcome the barriers involved and that may be woven together to provide solutions uniquely suited to various competitive situations.

Cardiac tissue engineering: from matrix design to the engineering of bionic hearts.

PubMed

Fleischer, Sharon; Feiner, Ron; Dvir, Tal

2017-04-01

The field of cardiac tissue engineering aims at replacing the scar tissue created after a patient has suffered from a myocardial infarction. Various technologies have been developed toward fabricating a functional engineered tissue that closely resembles that of the native heart. While the field continues to grow and techniques for better tissue fabrication continue to emerge, several hurdles still remain to be overcome. In this review we will focus on several key advances and recent technologies developed in the field, including biomimicking the natural extracellular matrix structure and enhancing the transfer of the electrical signal. We will also discuss recent developments in the engineering of bionic cardiac tissues which integrate the fields of tissue engineering and electronics to monitor and control tissue performance.

Combination of preservation factors applied to minimal processing of foods.

PubMed

Tapia de Daza, M S; Alzamora, S M; Chanes, J W

1996-07-01

Innovative technologies for producing minimally processed (MP) foods that apply the concept of combination of preservation factors are addressed in this article with special emphasis on a new combined approach that has been successfully applied in several Latin American countries for MP high-moisture fruit products (HMFP). HMFP can be regarded as a different approach to the commercially available and widely accepted MP concept for fruits and vegetables (even if developed for the same purpose of obtaining freshlike high-quality products with an extended shelf life) that is better adapted to Latin American countries in terms of independence of the chill chain and the use of simple and energy-efficient technologies. The continuous refrigeration hurdle associated with MP refrigerated fruits is not included in the preservation system of HMFP because a different combination of hurdles must be overcome to enhance the shelf stability of nonrespiring vegetable tissues while preserving freshlike character. Guidelines to obtain safe and high-quality MP fruit products are proposed. Other products preserved by combined factors technology are also discussed, as well as some other classical and new preservation factors whose application could enhance the quality of HMFP.

FDA Guidance on Biosimilar Interchangeability Elicits Diverse Views: Current and Potential Marketers Complain About Too-High Hurdles.

PubMed

Barlas, Stephen

2017-08-01

Pharmaceutical industry sectors are at odds as the Food and Drug Administration seeks to define "interchangeability" for biosimilars. The battle lines vary by topic, but biosimilar marketers, health plans, and drugstores are generally urging lower hurdles.

Hurdles in clinical implementation of academic advanced therapy medicinal products: A national evaluation.

PubMed

de Wilde, Sofieke; Veltrop-Duits, Louise; Hoozemans-Strik, Merel; Ras, Thirza; Blom-Veenman, Janine; Guchelaar, Henk-Jan; Zandvliet, Maarten; Meij, Pauline

2016-06-01

Since the implementation of the European Union (EU) regulation for advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) in 2009, only six ATMPs achieved marketing authorization approval in the EU. Recognizing the major developments in the ATMP field, starting mostly in academic institutions, we investigated which hurdles were experienced in the whole pathway of ATMP development towards clinical care. Quality interviews were executed with different stakeholders in The Netherlands involved in the ATMP development field, e.g. academic research groups, national authorities and patient organizations. Based on the hurdles mentioned in the interviews, questionnaires were subsequently sent to the academic principal investigators (PIs) and ATMP good manufacturing practice (GMP) facility managers to quantify these hurdles. Besides the familiar regulatory routes of marketing authorization (MA) and hospital exemption (HE), a part of the academic PIs perceived that ATMPs should become available by the Tissues and Cells Directive or did not anticipate on the next development steps towards implementation of their ATMP towards regular clinical care. The main hurdles identified were: inadequate financial support, rapidly evolving field, study-related problems, lacking regulatory knowledge, lack of collaborations and responsibility issues. Creating an academic environment stimulating and planning ATMP development and licensing as well as investing in expanding the relevant regulatory knowledge in academic institutions seems a prerequisite to develop ATMPs from bench to patient. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Algebridge. Concept Based Instructional Assessment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

College Entrance Examination Board, Princeton, NJ.

Students who study algebra are more likely to attend college than those who don't. A major hurdle for students in studying algebra is the transition from arithmetic to algebra. In response to overcoming this hurdle, the College Board and Educational Testing Service has developed "Algebridge," a teaching supplement that integrates…

Policy making for vaccine use as a driver of vaccine innovation and development in the developed world.

PubMed

Seib, Katherine; Pollard, Andrew J; de Wals, Philippe; Andrews, Ross M; Zhou, Fangjun; Hatchett, Richard J; Pickering, Larry K; Orenstein, Walter A

2017-03-07

In the past 200years, vaccines have had unmistakable impacts on public health including declines in morbidity and mortality, most markedly in economically-developed countries. Highly engineered vaccines including vaccines for conditions other than infectious diseases are expected to dominate future vaccine development. We examine immunization vaccine policy as a driver of vaccine innovation and development. The pathways to recommendation for use of licensed vaccines in the US, UK, Canada and Australia have been similar, including: expert review of disease epidemiology, disease burden and severity; vaccine immunogenicity, efficacy and safety; programmatic feasibility; public demand; and increasingly cost-effectiveness. Other attributes particularly important in development of future vaccines are likely to include: duration of immunity for improved vaccines such as pertussis; a greater emphasis on optimizing community protection rather than direct protection only; programmatic implementation, feasibility, improvements (as in the case of development of a universal influenza vaccine); public concerns/confidence/fears related to outbreak pathogens like Ebola and Zika virus; and major societal burden for combating hard to treat diseases like HIV and antimicrobial resistant pathogens. Driving innovation and production of future vaccines faces enormous economic hurdles as available approaches, technologies and regulatory pathways become more complex. As such, cost-mitigating strategies and focused, aligned efforts (by governments, private organizations, and private-public partnerships) will likely be needed to continue to spur major advances in vaccine technologies and development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Two executives, one career.

PubMed

Cunningham, Cynthia R; Murray, Shelley S

2005-02-01

For six years, Cynthia Cunningham and Shelley Murray shared an executive job at Fleet Bank. One desk, one chair, one computer, one telephone, and one voice-mail account. To their clients and colleagues, they were effectively one person, though one person with the strengths and ideas of two, seamlessly handing projects back and forth. Although their department was dissolved after the bank merged with Bank of America, the two continue to consider themselves a package-they have one resume, and they are seeking their next opportunity together. Their choice to share a job was not only a quality-of-life decision but one intended to keep their careers on course: "Taking two separate part-time jobs would have thrown us completely off track" they write in this first-person account."We're both ambitious people, and neither of us wanted just a job. We wanted careers" In this article, the two highly motivated women reveal their determination to manage the demands of both family and career. Flextime,telecommuting, and compressed workweeks are just some of the options open to executives seeking greater work/ life balance, and the job share, as described by Cunningham and Murray, could well be the next solution for those wishing to avoid major trade-offs between their personal and professional lives. Cunningham and Murray describe in vivid detail how they structured their unusual arrangement, how they sold themselves to management, and the hurdles they faced along the way. Theirs is a win-win story, for the company and for them.

Antibacterial and wound healing analysis of gelatin/zeolite scaffolds.

PubMed

Ninan, Neethu; Muthiah, Muthunarayanan; Bt Yahaya, Nur Aliza; Park, In-Kyu; Elain, Anne; Wong, Tin Wui; Thomas, Sabu; Grohens, Yves

2014-03-01

In this article, gelatin/copper activated faujasites (CAF) composite scaffolds were fabricated by lyophilisation technique for promoting partial thickness wound healing. The optimised scaffold with 0.5% (w/w) of CAF, G (0.5%), demonstrated pore size in the range of 10-350 μm. Agar disc diffusion tests verified the antibacterial role of G (0.5%) and further supported that bacterial lysis was due to copper released from the core of CAF embedded in the gelatin matrix. The change in morphology of bacteria as a function of CAF content in gelatin scaffold was studied using SEM analysis. The confocal images revealed the increase in mortality rate of bacteria with increase in concentration of incorporated CAF in gelatin matrix. Proficient oxygen supply to needy cells is a continuing hurdle faced by tissue engineering scaffolds. The dissolved oxygen measurements revealed that CAF embedded in the scaffold were capable of increasing oxygen supply and thereby promote cell proliferation. Also, G (0.5%) exhibited highest cell viability on NIH 3T3 fibroblast cells which was mainly attributed to the highly porous architecture and its ability to enhance oxygen supply to cells. In vivo studies conducted on Sprague Dawley rats revealed the ability of G (0.5%) to promote skin regeneration in 20 days. Thus, the obtained data suggest that G (0.5%) is an ideal candidate for wound healing applications. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Imaging: Guiding the Clinical Translation of Cardiac Stem Cell Therapy

PubMed Central

Nguyen, Patricia K.; Lan, Feng; Wang, Yongming; Wu, Joseph C.

2011-01-01

Stem cells have been touted as the holy grail of medical therapy with promises to regenerate cardiac tissue, but it appears the jury is still out on this novel therapy. Using advanced imaging technology, scientists have discovered that these cells do not survive nor engraft long-term. In addition, only marginal benefit has been observed in large animal studies and human trials. However, all is not lost. Further application of advanced imaging technology will help scientists unravel the mysteries of stem cell therapy and address the clinical hurdles facing its routine implementation. In this review, we will discuss how advanced imaging technology will help investigators better define the optimal delivery method, improve survival and engraftment, and evaluate efficacy and safety. Insights gained from this review may direct the development of future preclinical investigations and clinical trials. PMID:21960727

The future of predictive microbiology: strategic research, innovative applications and great expectations.

PubMed

McMeekin, Tom; Bowman, John; McQuestin, Olivia; Mellefont, Lyndal; Ross, Tom; Tamplin, Mark

2008-11-30

This paper considers the future of predictive microbiology by exploring the balance that exists between science, applications and expectations. Attention is drawn to the development of predictive microbiology as a sub-discipline of food microbiology and of technologies that are required for its applications, including a recently developed biological indicator. As we move into the era of systems biology, in which physiological and molecular information will be increasingly available for incorporation into models, predictive microbiologists will be faced with new experimental and data handling challenges. Overcoming these hurdles may be assisted by interacting with microbiologists and mathematicians developing models to describe the microbial role in ecosystems other than food. Coupled with a commitment to maintain strategic research, as well as to develop innovative technologies, the future of predictive microbiology looks set to fulfil "great expectations".

Translational research and the evolving landscape for biomedical innovation.

PubMed

Kaitin, Kenneth I

2012-10-01

This article addresses current challenges facing pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical developers, including the expiration of patents on many high-revenue-generating products, increasing competition in the marketplace, low public support, high regulatory hurdles, and the increasing time, cost, and risk of new product development. To meet these challenges, drug developers are looking to new models of innovation to improve efficiency, lower risk, and increase output. These new models include codevelopment agreements with small companies, multicompany consortia, and strategic partnerships with academic research centers. In the United States and the European Union, the government is supporting these efforts by creating incentives for academic centers to foster translational research and become more "commercially minded". The goal for all stakeholders is to reduce the barriers to product development and bring new medicines to market in a timely and cost-efficient manner.

After years of steady growth, winds of restraint blowing on prescription-drug industry.

PubMed

Robinson, A

1995-07-01

Tough fiscal times are forcing cutbaks in many areas of health care, and the prescription-drug industry is no exception. The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Canada says Canada's brand-name drug companies face two major hurdles: restricted market access, as drug formularies limit the number of new drugs, and restricted price increases, as allowed by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board and provincial formularies. The Canadian Drug Manufacturers Association, which represents Canada's generic-drug industry, says its message to physicians is that generic products are important agents of cost control and that the health care community is more aware of this than it once was. "If you don't maximize your savings while you can," cautions the association's Brenda Drinkwalter, "you'll never be able to afford the high-priced drugs of tomorrow".

Regulation and federalism: legal impediments to state health care reform.

PubMed

Parmet, W E

1993-01-01

In recent years, many states have attempted to address the cost and access problems that face their health care systems. Such efforts, however, are significantly impeded by a variety of federalism doctrines that limit the ability of states to regulate the health care market. This Article surveys some of those federalism barriers, including the constitutional restraints imposed by the Commerce Clause, the Privileges and Immunities Clause, and the Fourteenth Amendment, and the statutory hurdles created by ERISA, the Social Security Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. This Article concludes that the restraints that these doctrines and statutes place on states reflect not only federalism concerns, but also deeper ambivalence about governmental regulation of the health care market. Only when that ambivalence is resolved can a proper division of labor between the states and federal government be determined.

Nutritionally Enhanced Food Crops; Progress and Perspectives

PubMed Central

Hefferon, Kathleen L.

2015-01-01

Great progress has been made over the past decade with respect to the application of biotechnology to generate nutritionally improved food crops. Biofortified staple crops such as rice, maize and wheat harboring essential micronutrients to benefit the world’s poor are under development as well as new varieties of crops which have the ability to combat chronic disease. This review discusses the improvement of the nutritional status of crops to make a positive impact on global human health. Several examples of nutritionally enhanced crops which have been developed using biotechnological approaches will be discussed. These range from biofortified crops to crops with novel abilities to fight disease. The review concludes with a discussion of hurdles faced with respect to public perception, as well as directions of future research and development for nutritionally enhanced food crops. PMID:25679450

"Who's gonna plant the trees?!?": Creating effective synergies between community and research goals in scientist-community partnerships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Declet-Barreto, J.; Johnson, C.

2017-12-01

Harnessing science into effective, community-focused action requires ongoing partnerships that increase both understanding and trust between communities and scientists. One hurdle to overcome is that often, research questions and goals do not line up with the most pressing perceived or objective issues that a partner community faces. Another barrier is that community members often do not have a clear idea of how communities could benefit from the research, an issue that can create confusion and undermine community support for a partnership. In this session, we will discuss some of our successes and misses in developing research partnerships and actionable science for the benefit of communities. We will share stories on how we crafted effective actionable research products in partnership with Environmental Justice and other vulnerable communities.

NASA's EOSDIS Cumulus: Ingesting, Archiving, Managing, and Distributing from Commercial Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baynes, K.; Ramachandran, R.; Pilone, D.; Quinn, P.; Schuler, I.; Gilman, J.; Jazayeri, A.

2017-12-01

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) has been working towards a vision of a cloud-based, highly-flexible, ingest, archive, management, and distribution system for its ever-growing and evolving data holdings. This system, Cumulus, is emerging from its prototyping stages and is poised to make a huge impact on how NASA manages and disseminates its Earth science data. This talk will outline the motivation for this work, present the achievements and hurdles of the past 18 months and will chart a course for the future expansion of the Cumulus expansion. We will explore on not just the technical, but also the socio-technical challenges that we face in evolving a system of this magnitude into the cloud and how we are rising to meet those challenges through open collaboration and intentional stakeholder engagement.

Technical challenges for the future of high energy lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LaFortune, K. N.; Hurd, R. L.; Fochs, S. N.; Rotter, M. D.; Pax, P. H.; Combs, R. L.; Olivier, S. S.; Brase, J. M.; Yamamoto, R. M.

2007-02-01

The Solid-State, Heat-Capacity Laser (SSHCL) program at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory is a multi-generation laser development effort scalable to the megawatt power levels with current performance approaching 100 kilowatts. This program is one of many designed to harness the power of lasers for use as directed energy weapons. There are many hurdles common to all of these programs that must be overcome to make the technology viable. There will be a in-depth discussion of the general issues facing state-of-the-art high energy lasers and paths to their resolution. Despite the relative simplicity of the SSHCL design, many challenges have been uncovered in the implementation of this particular system. An overview of these and their resolution are discussed. The overall system design of the SSHCL, technological strengths and weaknesses, and most recent experimental results will be presented.

New orthopedic devices and the FDA.

PubMed

Sheth, Ujash; Nguyen, Nhu-An; Gaines, Sean; Bhandari, Mohit; Mehlman, Charles T; Klein, Guy

2009-01-01

Each year the field of orthopedics is introduced to an influx of new medical devices. Each of these medical devices has faced certain hurdles prior to being approved for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Among the regulatory pathways available, the 510(k) premarket notification is by far the one most commonly used. The 510(k) premarket notification allows the manufacturer to receive prompt approval of their device by demonstrating that it is "substantially equivalent" to an existing legally marketed device. In most instances, this proof of substantial equivalence allows manufacturers of medical devices to bypass the use of clinical trials, which are a hallmark of the approval process for new drugs. As a result, most medical devices are approved without demonstrating safety or effectiveness. This article reviews the regulatory processes used by the FDA to evaluate new orthopedic devices.

The Molecular Revolution in Cutaneous Biology: Era of Next-Generation Sequencing.

PubMed

Sarig, Ofer; Sprecher, Eli

2017-05-01

Like any true conceptual revolution, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has not only radically changed research and clinical practice, it has also modified scientific culture. With the possibility to investigate DNA contents of any organism and in any context, including in somatic disorders or in tissues carrying complex microbial populations, it initially seemed as if the genetic underpinning of any biological phenomenon could now be deciphered in an almost streamlined fashion. However, over the past recent years, we have once again come to understand that there is no such a thing as great opportunities without great challenges. The steadily expanding use of NGS and related applications is now facing biologists and physicians with novel technological obstacles, analytical hurdles and increasingly pressing ethical questions. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Earth BioGenome Project: Sequencing life for the future of life.

PubMed

Lewin, Harris A; Robinson, Gene E; Kress, W John; Baker, William J; Coddington, Jonathan; Crandall, Keith A; Durbin, Richard; Edwards, Scott V; Forest, Félix; Gilbert, M Thomas P; Goldstein, Melissa M; Grigoriev, Igor V; Hackett, Kevin J; Haussler, David; Jarvis, Erich D; Johnson, Warren E; Patrinos, Aristides; Richards, Stephen; Castilla-Rubio, Juan Carlos; van Sluys, Marie-Anne; Soltis, Pamela S; Xu, Xun; Yang, Huanming; Zhang, Guojie

2018-04-24

Increasing our understanding of Earth's biodiversity and responsibly stewarding its resources are among the most crucial scientific and social challenges of the new millennium. These challenges require fundamental new knowledge of the organization, evolution, functions, and interactions among millions of the planet's organisms. Herein, we present a perspective on the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), a moonshot for biology that aims to sequence, catalog, and characterize the genomes of all of Earth's eukaryotic biodiversity over a period of 10 years. The outcomes of the EBP will inform a broad range of major issues facing humanity, such as the impact of climate change on biodiversity, the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems, and the preservation and enhancement of ecosystem services. We describe hurdles that the project faces, including data-sharing policies that ensure a permanent, freely available resource for future scientific discovery while respecting access and benefit sharing guidelines of the Nagoya Protocol. We also describe scientific and organizational challenges in executing such an ambitious project, and the structure proposed to achieve the project's goals. The far-reaching potential benefits of creating an open digital repository of genomic information for life on Earth can be realized only by a coordinated international effort.

Vaccines for pandemic influenza. The history of our current vaccines, their limitations and the requirements to deal with a pandemic threat.

PubMed

Hampson, Alan W

2008-06-01

Fears of a potential pandemic due to A(H5N1) viruses have focussed new attention on our current vaccines, their shortcomings, and concerns regarding global vaccine supply in a pandemic. The bulk of current vaccines are inactivated split virus vaccines produced from egg-grown virus and have only modest improvements compared with those first introduced over 60 years ago. Splitting, which was introduced some years ago to reduce reactogenicity, also reduces the immunogenicity of vaccines in immunologically naïve recipients. The A(H5N1) viruses have been found poorly immunogenic and present other challenges for vaccine producers which further exacerbate an already limited global production capacity. There have been some recent improvements in vaccine production methods and improvements to immunogenicity by the development of new adjuvants, however, these still fall short of providing timely supplies of vaccine for all in the face of a pandemic. New approaches to influenza vaccines which might fulfil the demands of a pandemic situation are under evaluation, however, these remain some distance from clinical reality and face significant regulatory hurdles.

Variable Emittance Electrochromics Using Ionic Electrolytes and Low Solar Absorptance Coatings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandrasekhar, Prasanna

2011-01-01

One of the last remaining technical hurdles with variable emittance devices or skins based on conducting polymer electrochromics is the high solar absorptance of their top surfaces. This high solar absorptance causes overheating of the skin when facing the Sun in space. Existing technologies such as mechanical louvers or loop heat pipes are virtually inapplicable to micro (< 20 kg) and nano (< 5 kg) spacecraft. Novel coatings lower the solar absorption to Alpha(s) of between 0.30 and 0.46. Coupled with the emittance properties of the variable emittance skins, this lowers the surface temperature of the skins facing the Sun to between 30 and 60 C, which is much lower than previous results of 100 C, and is well within acceptable satellite operations ranges. The performance of this technology is better than that of current new technologies such as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), electrostatics, and electrophoretics, especially in applications involving micro and nano spacecraft. The coatings are deposited inside a high vacuum, layering multiple coatings onto the top surfaces of variable emittance skins. They are completely transparent in the entire relevant infrared region (about 2 to 45 microns), but highly reflective in the visible-NIR (near infrared) region of relevance to solar absorptance.

The current status and problems confronted in delivering precision medicine in Japan and Europe.

PubMed

Bando, Hideaki

Precision medicine has been defined as "a predictive, preventive, personalized, and participatory health care service delivery model." Today, developments in next-generation sequencing and information technology have made precision medicine possible, with massive amounts of genetic, "omics," clinical, environmental, and lifestyle data now available. Unfortunately, differences in governmental support and health care regulations have resulted in heterogeneous progress among countries. In Japan, for example, precision cancer screening and treatments are increasingly being promoted, with collaboration among research, governmental, and pharmaceutical agencies taking place in the nationwide SCRUM-Japan cancer genome screening project. The missions of SCRUM-Japan are to deliver the most appropriate therapeutic agents to the most suitable patients, and to play key roles in the development of multiplex diagnostic products and new indications for targeted therapy. Starting in February 2015 and ending in March 2017, the aim is to enroll 4750 patients with cancer (2350 patients with lung cancer and 2400 patients with gastrointestinal tract cancer). Compared with other developed countries, investments in scientific innovation for biomedical and omics research are matched or even surpassed in Europe, but regulatory differences in each countries are a major hurdle to rapid implementation. Although market approval for pharmaceuticals is centralized through the European Medicines Agency, access to health care is heterogeneously regulated at national levels, which undermines the consistency, comparability, and quality of precision medicine for cancer patients in Europe. In this review, we focus on the current progress of precision medicine in Japan and Europe, and clarify the differences in progress and the hurdles faced moving forward. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

MicroRNAs are important regulators of drug resistance in colorectal cancer

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yang; Wang, Jing

2018-01-01

Despite of continuous development of cancer treatment over the past decades, drug resistance is still one of the major hurdles of effective therapy for advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) worldwide and the understanding of its underlying mechanisms remains limited. Emerged data suggests that many microRNAs (miRNAs) may contribute to drug resistance in CRC. Major findings on miRNA functions in drug resistance of CRC are systemically reviewed here, with the goal of providing new updates to broaden our comprehension of its mechanisms and evidence to utilize miRNAs as potential therapeutic targets for CRC treatment. PMID:28095367

Calculating CMMI-Based ROI: Why, When, What, and How?

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

flows are discounted using either: • The company’s weighted average cost of capital ( WACC ) • A “hurdle rate” consisting of the company’s cost of...Provides a “one number” method of comparing projects that is independent of the company’s WACC or hurdle rate Cons • No way to know the dollar magnitude of

Integration of new technology into clinical practice after FDA approval.

PubMed

Govil, Ashul; Hao, Steven C

2016-10-01

Development of new medical technology is a crucial part of the advancement of medicine and our ability to better treat patients and their diseases. This process of development is long and arduous and requires a significant investment of human, financial and material capital. However, technology development can be rewarded richly by its impact on patient outcomes and successful sale of the product. One of the major regulatory hurdles to technology development is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process, which is necessary before a technology can be marketed and sold in the USA. Many businesses, medical providers and consumers believe that the FDA approval process is the only hurdle prior to use of the technology in day-to-day care. In order for the technology to be adopted into clinical use, reimbursement for both the device as well as the associated work performed by physicians and medical staff must be in place. Work and coverage decisions require Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code development and Relative Value Scale Update Committee (RUC) valuation determination. Understanding these processes is crucial to the timely availability of new technology to patients and providers. Continued and better partnerships between physicians, industry, regulatory bodies and payers will facilitate bringing technology to market sooner and ensure appropriate utilization.

Antimicrobial effect and shelf-life extension by combined thermal and pulsed electric field treatment of milk.

PubMed

Walkling-Ribeiro, M; Noci, F; Cronin, D A; Lyng, J G; Morgan, D J

2009-01-01

The impact of a combined hurdle treatment of heat and pulsed electric fields (PEF) was studied on native microbiota used for the inoculation of low-fat ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk and whole raw milk. Microbiological shelf-life of the latter following hurdle treatment or thermal pasteurization was also investigated. UHT milk was preheated to 30 degrees C, 40 degrees C or 50 degrees C over a 60-s period, pulsed for 50 micros or 60 micros at a field strength of 40 kV cm(-1) or for 33 micros at 50 kV cm(-1). Heat and PEF reduced the microbial count by a maximum of 6.4 log in UHT milk (50 degrees C; 50 kV cm(-1), 33 micros) compared to 6.0 log (P > or = 0.05) obtained by thermal pasteurization (26 s, 72 degrees C). When raw milk was treated with a combination of hurdles (50 degrees C; 40 kV cm(-1), 60 micros) a 6.0 log inactivation of microbiota was achieved and microbiological milk shelf-life was extended to 21 days under refrigeration (4 degrees C) vs 14 days in thermally pasteurized milk. Native microbiota was decreased by 6.7 log following conventional pasteurization. The findings suggest that heat and PEF achieved similar inactivation of native microbiota in milk and longer stabilization of microbiological shelf-life than thermal pasteurization. A hurdle approach of heat and PEF could represent a valid milk processing alternative to conventional pasteurization. Hurdle treatment might also preserve native milk quality better due to less thermal exposure.

Stigma and Discrimination faced by HIV-infected Adults on Antiretroviral Therapy for more than 1 Year in Raichur Taluk, Karnataka, India.

PubMed

Muralidharan, Shrikanth; Acharya, Arun Kumar; Margabandu, Shanthi; Purushotaman, Shalini; Kannan, Ranjit; Mahendrakar, Sangeeta; Kulkarni, Dinraj

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the stress and discrimination faced by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-affected adult patients on antiretroviral therapy (ART) for more than 1 year. A cross-sectional study was carried out among 170 adults on ART, reporting to the ART center of the District Civil Hospital, for more than 1 year in Raichur Taluk, Karnataka, India. Convenience sampling technique was followed. Descriptive statistics was performed (Chi-square test) using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16.0. A total of 156 (91.8%) patients' families had knowledge about their seropositive status. Seventeen (10.9%) HIV-positive patients reported of change in the attitude of their family members. The main reasons for not revealing the HIV status were the internalized stigma and fear of rejection. Women faced greater discrimination from family, friends, and neighbors than men. It is necessary to not undermine the effect of rejection due to HIV. It is the only infection that has so many associated social and psychological norms which we need to tend at the earnest. Till date, there is an existence of condescendence toward treatment approach. The presence of stigma and the fear of being discriminated could be a major hurdle in the rehabilitation of these patients into the mainstream society. Furthermore, it serves as an existing challenge to ascertain these individuals to achieve overall health.

Base modification strategies to modulate immune stimulation by an siRNA.

PubMed

Valenzuela, Rachel Anne P; Suter, Scott R; Ball-Jones, Alexi A; Ibarra-Soza, José M; Zheng, Yuxuan; Beal, Peter A

2015-01-19

Immune stimulation triggered by siRNAs is one of the major challenges in the development of safe RNAi-based therapeutics. Within an immunostimulatory siRNA sequence, this hurdle is commonly addressed by using ribose modifications (e.g., 2'-OMe or 2'-F), which results in decreased cytokine production. However, as immune stimulation by siRNAs is a sequence-dependent phenomenon, recognition of the nucleobases by the trigger receptor(s) is also likely. Here, we use the recently published crystal structures of Toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8) bound to small-molecule agonists to generate computational models for ribonucleotide binding by this immune receptor. Our modeling suggested that modification of either the Watson-Crick or Hoogsteen face of adenosine would disrupt nucleotide/TLR8 interactions. We employed chemical synthesis to alter either the Watson-Crick or Hoogsteen face of adenosine and evaluated the effect of these modifications in an siRNA guide strand by measuring the immunostimulatory and RNA interference properties. For the siRNA guide strand tested, we found that modifying the Watson-Crick face is generally more effective at blocking TNFα production in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) than modification at the Hoogsteen edge. We also observed that modifications near the 5'-end were more effective at blocking cytokine production than those placed at the 3'-end. This work advances our understanding of how chemical modifications can be used to optimize siRNA performance. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Increased dead space in face mask continuous positive airway pressure in neonates.

PubMed

Hishikawa, Kenji; Fujinaga, Hideshi; Ito, Yushi

2017-01-01

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) by face mask is commonly performed in newborn resuscitation. We evaluated the effect of face mask CPAP on system dead space. Face mask CPAP increases dead space. A CPAP model study. We estimated the volume of the inner space of the mask. We devised a face mask CPAP model, in which the outlet of the mask was covered with plastic; and three modified face mask CPAP models, in which holes were drilled near to the cushion of the covered face mask to alter the air exit. We passed a continuous flow of 21% oxygen through each model and we controlled the inner pressure to 5 cmH 2 O by adjusting the flow-relief valve. To evaluate the ventilation in the inner space of each model, we measured the oxygen concentration rise time, that is, the time needed for the oxygen concentration of each model to reach 35% after the oxygen concentration of the continuous flow was raised from 21% to 40%. The volume of inner space of the face mask was 38.3 ml. Oxygen concentration rise time in the face mask CPAP model was significantly longer at various continuous flow rates and points of the inner space of the face mask compared with that of the modified face mask CPAP model. Our study indicates that face mask CPAP leads to an increase in dead space and a decrease in ventilation efficiency under certain circumstances. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2017;52:107-111. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Exploiting endogenous fibrocartilage stem cells to regenerate cartilage and repair joint injury

PubMed Central

Embree, Mildred C.; Chen, Mo; Pylawka, Serhiy; Kong, Danielle; Iwaoka, George M.; Kalajzic, Ivo; Yao, Hai; Shi, Chancheng; Sun, Dongming; Sheu, Tzong-Jen; Koslovsky, David A.; Koch, Alia; Mao, Jeremy J.

2016-01-01

Tissue regeneration using stem cell-based transplantation faces many hurdles. Alternatively, therapeutically exploiting endogenous stem cells to regenerate injured or diseased tissue may circumvent these challenges. Here we show resident fibrocartilage stem cells (FCSCs) can be used to regenerate and repair cartilage. We identify FCSCs residing within the superficial zone niche in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) condyle. A single FCSC spontaneously generates a cartilage anlage, remodels into bone and organizes a haematopoietic microenvironment. Wnt signals deplete the reservoir of FCSCs and cause cartilage degeneration. We also show that intra-articular treatment with the Wnt inhibitor sclerostin sustains the FCSC pool and regenerates cartilage in a TMJ injury model. We demonstrate the promise of exploiting resident FCSCs as a regenerative therapeutic strategy to substitute cell transplantation that could be beneficial for patients suffering from fibrocartilage injury and disease. These data prompt the examination of utilizing this strategy for other musculoskeletal tissues. PMID:27721375

Biopreservation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomes, Bruna C.; Winkelströter, Lizziane K.; Dos Reis, Fernanda B.; de Martinis, Elaine C. P.

In the last decades important changes have been observed in the food science area, with increasing consumers demand for ready-to-eat (RTE) and minimally processed foods, as a reflection of the increasing awareness of the risks derived not only from foodborne pathogens but also from artificial chemical preservatives used to control them (Castellano, Belfiore, Fadda, & Vignolo, 2008; Parada, Caron, Medeiros, & Soccol, 2007; Rodríguez, Martínez, Horn, & Dodd, 2003; Schuenzel & Harrison, 2002). This tendency allied to strict government requirements for food safety has faced food producers with conflicting challenges (Settanni & Corsetti, 2008). The preservation techniques used in early days relied, without any understanding of the microbiology, on the inactivation of undesirable microorganisms through drying, salting, heating, or fermentation. These methods are still used today, combining various hurdles to inhibit growth of microorganisms, but some of the classic preservation techniques are not suitable for fresh meats and RTE products (Gram et al., 2002; Quintavalla & Vicini, 2002; Rao, Chander, & Sharma, 2008).

Tip/tilt optimizations for polynomial apodized vortex coronagraphs on obscured telescope pupils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fogarty, Kevin; Pueyo, Laurent; Mazoyer, Johan; N'Diaye, Mamadou

2017-09-01

Obstructions due to large secondary mirrors, primary mirror segmentation, and secondary mirror support struts all introduce diffraction artifacts that limit the performance offered by coronagraphs. However, just as vortex coronagraphs provides theoretically ideal cancellation of on-axis starlight for clear apertures, the Polynomial Apodized Vortex Coronagraph (PAVC) completely blocks on-axis light for apertures with central obscurations, and delivers off-axis throughput that improves as the topological charge of the vortex increases. We examine the sensitivity of PAVC designs to tip/tilt aberrations and stellar angular size, and discuss methods for mitigating these effects. By imposing additional constraints on the pupil plane apodization, we decrease the sensitivity of the PAVC to the small positional shifts of the on-axis source induced by either tip/tilt or stellar angular size; providing a route to overcoming an important hurdle facing the performance of vortex coronagraphs on telescopes with complicated pupils.

After years of steady growth, winds of restraint blowing on prescription-drug industry.

PubMed Central

Robinson, A

1995-01-01

Tough fiscal times are forcing cutbaks in many areas of health care, and the prescription-drug industry is no exception. The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association of Canada says Canada's brand-name drug companies face two major hurdles: restricted market access, as drug formularies limit the number of new drugs, and restricted price increases, as allowed by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board and provincial formularies. The Canadian Drug Manufacturers Association, which represents Canada's generic-drug industry, says its message to physicians is that generic products are important agents of cost control and that the health care community is more aware of this than it once was. "If you don't maximize your savings while you can," cautions the association's Brenda Drinkwalter, "you'll never be able to afford the high-priced drugs of tomorrow". Images p86-a PMID:7796380

Conference report: formulating better medicines for children: 4th European Paediatric Formulation Initiative conference.

PubMed

Walsh, Jennifer; Mills, Simon

2013-01-01

The fourth annual European Paediatric Formulation Initiative (EuPFI) conference on Formulating Better Medicines for Children was held on 19-20 September 2012 at the Institute of Molecular Genetics Congress Centre, Prague, Czech Republic. The 2-day conference concentrated on the latest advances, challenges and opportunities for developing medicinal products and administration devices for pediatric use, both from European and US perspectives. It was aimed specifically at providing exposure to emerging practical applications, and for illustrating remedies utilized by pediatric drug-development teams to overcome hurdles faced in developing medicines for pediatric patients. The conference format included plenary talks, focus sessions on each of the EuPFI work streams (extemporaneous preparations, excipients, pediatric administration devices, taste masking and taste assessment, age-appropriate formulations), case studies, soapbox sessions and a parallel poster display. This conference report summarizes the keynote lectures and also gives a flavor of other presentations and posters from the conference.

The quest for improved reproducibility in MALDI mass spectrometry.

PubMed

O'Rourke, Matthew B; Djordjevic, Steven P; Padula, Matthew P

2018-03-01

Reproducibility has been one of the biggest hurdles faced when attempting to develop quantitative protocols for MALDI mass spectrometry. The heterogeneous nature of sample recrystallization has made automated sample acquisition somewhat "hit and miss" with manual intervention needed to ensure that all sample spots have been analyzed. In this review, we explore the last 30 years of literature and anecdotal evidence that has attempted to address and improve reproducibility in MALDI MS. Though many methods have been attempted, we have discovered a significant publication history surrounding the use of nitrocellulose as a substrate to improve homogeneity of crystal formation and therefore reproducibility. We therefore propose that this is the most promising avenue of research for developing a comprehensive and universal preparation protocol for quantitative MALDI MS analysis. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Mass Spec Rev 37:217-228, 2018. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Uncertainty Management for Diagnostics and Prognostics of Batteries using Bayesian Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saha, Bhaskar; Goebel, kai

2007-01-01

Uncertainty management has always been the key hurdle faced by diagnostics and prognostics algorithms. A Bayesian treatment of this problem provides an elegant and theoretically sound approach to the modern Condition- Based Maintenance (CBM)/Prognostic Health Management (PHM) paradigm. The application of the Bayesian techniques to regression and classification in the form of Relevance Vector Machine (RVM), and to state estimation as in Particle Filters (PF), provides a powerful tool to integrate the diagnosis and prognosis of battery health. The RVM, which is a Bayesian treatment of the Support Vector Machine (SVM), is used for model identification, while the PF framework uses the learnt model, statistical estimates of noise and anticipated operational conditions to provide estimates of remaining useful life (RUL) in the form of a probability density function (PDF). This type of prognostics generates a significant value addition to the management of any operation involving electrical systems.

Effective advocacy for patients with inflammatory bowel disease: communication with insurance companies, school administrators, employers, and other health care overseers.

PubMed

Jaff, Jennifer C; Arnold, Janis; Bousvaros, Athos

2006-08-01

In addition to their physical challenges, children and adolescents with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) living in the United States face a number of administrative and regulatory hurdles that affect their quality of life. This article, written by a physician, attorney/patient advocate, and social worker, discusses a number of these challenges and describes how the provider can help his or her patient overcome them. Specifically, the article discusses 4 areas in detail: appeals of denials of coverage from insurance companies and third party payors; assisting children with IBD with classroom and school accommodations; assisting uninsured children in obtaining Social Security benefits; and aiding a parent to care for their child using the Family and Medical Leave Act. Although this article has a pediatric focus, adults have similar advocacy needs. Case examples and sample letters to third-party payors, schools, and employers are included in this article.

Innovations in the Use of Interactive Technology to Support Weight Management

PubMed Central

Spruijt-Metz, D.; Wen, C.K.F.; O’Reilly, G.; Li, M.; Lee, S; Emken, B.A.; Mitra, U.; Annavaram, M.; Ragusa, G.; Narayanan, S.

2015-01-01

New and emerging mobile technologies are providing unprecedented possibilities for understanding and intervening on obesity-related behaviors in real time. However, the mobile health (mHealth) field has yet to catch up with the fast-paced development of technology. Current mHealth efforts in weight management still tend to focus mainly on short message systems (SMS) interventions, rather than taking advantage of real-time sensing to develop Just-In-Time, Adaptive Interventions (JITAIs). This paper will give an overview of the current technology landscape for sensing and intervening on three behaviors that are central to weight management; diet, physical activity, and sleep. Then five studies that really dig into the possibilities that these new technologies afford will be showcased. We conclude with a discussion of hurdles that mHealth obesity research has yet to overcome, and a future-facing discussion. PMID:26364308

Performance variation in motor imagery brain-computer interface: a brief review.

PubMed

Ahn, Minkyu; Jun, Sung Chan

2015-03-30

Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology has attracted significant attention over recent decades, and has made remarkable progress. However, BCI still faces a critical hurdle, in that performance varies greatly across and even within subjects, an obstacle that degrades the reliability of BCI systems. Understanding the causes of these problems is important if we are to create more stable systems. In this short review, we report the most recent studies and findings on performance variation, especially in motor imagery-based BCI, which has found that low-performance groups have a less-developed brain network that is incapable of motor imagery. Further, psychological and physiological states influence performance variation within subjects. We propose a possible strategic approach to deal with this variation, which may contribute to improving the reliability of BCI. In addition, the limitations of current work and opportunities for future studies are discussed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NASA's EOSDIS Cumulus: Ingesting, Archiving, Managing, and Distributing Earth Science Data from the Commercial Cloud

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baynes, Katie; Ramachandran, Rahul; Pilone, Dan; Quinn, Patrick; Gilman, Jason; Schuler, Ian; Jazayeri, Alireza

2017-01-01

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) has been working towards a vision of a cloud-based, highly-flexible, ingest, archive, management, and distribution system for its ever-growing and evolving data holdings. This system, Cumulus, is emerging from its prototyping stages and is poised to make a huge impact on how NASA manages and disseminates its Earth science data. This talk will outline the motivation for this work, present the achievements and hurdles of the past 18 months and will chart a course for the future expansion of the Cumulus expansion. We will explore on not just the technical, but also the socio-technical challenges that we face in evolving a system of this magnitude into the cloud and how we are rising to meet those challenges through open collaboration and intentional stakeholder engagement.

Pharmaceutical liposomal drug delivery: a review of new delivery systems and a look at the regulatory landscape.

PubMed

Zylberberg, Claudia; Matosevic, Sandro

2016-11-01

Liposomes were the first nanoscale drug to be approved for clinical use in 1995. Since then, the technology has grown considerably, and pioneering recent work in liposome-based delivery systems has brought about remarkable developments with significant clinical implications. This includes long-circulating liposomes, stimuli-responsive liposomes, nebulized liposomes, elastic liposomes for topical, oral and transdermal delivery and covalent lipid-drug complexes for improved drug plasma membrane crossing and targeting to specific organelles. While the regulatory bodies' opinion on liposomes is well-documented, current guidance that address new delivery systems are not. This review describes, in depth, the current state-of-the-art of these new liposomal delivery systems and provides a critical overview of the current regulatory landscape surrounding commercialization efforts of higher-level complexity systems, the expected requirements and the hurdles faced by companies seeking to bring novel liposome-based systems for clinical use to market.

The fine art of integral membrane protein crystallisation.

PubMed

Birch, James; Axford, Danny; Foadi, James; Meyer, Arne; Eckhardt, Annette; Thielmann, Yvonne; Moraes, Isabel

2018-05-18

Integral membrane proteins are among the most fascinating and important biomolecules as they play a vital role in many biological functions. Knowledge of their atomic structures is fundamental to the understanding of their biochemical function and key in many drug discovery programs. However, over the years, structure determination of integral membrane proteins has proven to be far from trivial, hence they are underrepresented in the protein data bank. Low expression levels, insolubility and instability are just a few of the many hurdles one faces when studying these proteins. X-ray crystallography has been the most used method to determine atomic structures of membrane proteins. However, the production of high quality membrane protein crystals is always very challenging, often seen more as art than a rational experiment. Here we review valuable approaches, methods and techniques to successful membrane protein crystallisation. Copyright © 2018 Diamond Light Source LTD. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Applying Legal Concepts to Business in a Legal and Ethical Environment of Business Course: The Build-a-Business Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grelecki, Ryan C.; Willey, Susan L.

2017-01-01

One of the most significant hurdles to overcome in teaching law to business students is getting them to recognize and appreciate the real-world applicability of the law, a seemingly esoteric and irrelevant discipline. This hurdle is especially challenging when teaching Legal and Ethical Environment of Business (LEEB), a course that most business…

Bacillus cereus cell response upon exposure to acid environment: toward the identification of potential biomarkers

PubMed Central

Desriac, Noémie; Broussolle, Véronique; Postollec, Florence; Mathot, Anne-Gabrielle; Sohier, Danièle; Coroller, Louis; Leguerinel, Ivan

2013-01-01

Microorganisms are able to adapt to different environments and evolve rapidly, allowing them to cope with their new environments. Such adaptive response and associated protections toward other lethal stresses, is a crucial survival strategy for a wide spectrum of microorganisms, including food spoilage bacteria, pathogens, and organisms used in functional food applications. The growing demand for minimal processed food yields to an increasing use of combination of hurdles or mild preservation factors in the food industry. A commonly used hurdle is low pH which allows the decrease in bacterial growth rate but also the inactivation of pathogens or spoilage microorganisms. Bacillus cereus is a well-known food-borne pathogen leading to economical and safety issues in food industry. Because survival mechanisms implemented will allow bacteria to cope with environmental changes, it is important to provide understanding of B. cereus stress response. Thus this review deals with the adaptive traits of B. cereus cells facing to acid stress conditions. The acid stress response of B. cereus could be divided into four groups (i) general stress response (ii) pH homeostasis, (iii) metabolic modifications and alkali production and (iv) secondary oxidative stress response. This current knowledge may be useful to understand how B. cereus cells may cope to acid environment such as encountered in food products and thus to find some molecular biomarkers of the bacterial behavior. These biomarkers could be furthermore used to develop new microbial behavior prediction tools which can provide insights into underlying molecular physiological states which govern the behavior of microorganisms and thus opening the avenue toward the detection of stress adaptive behavior at an early stage and the control of stress-induced resistance throughout the food chain. PMID:24106490

Policy Considerations for Commercializing Natural Gas and Biomass CCUS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abrahams, L.; Clavin, C.

2017-12-01

Captured CO2 from power generation has been discussed as an opportunity to improve the environmental sustainability of fossil fuel-based electricity generation and likely necessary technological solution necessary for meeting long-term climate change mitigation goals. In our presentation, we review the findings of a study of natural gas CCUS technology research and development and discuss their applications to biomass CCUS technology potential. Based on interviews conducted with key stakeholders in CCUS technology development and operations, this presentation will discuss these technical and economic challenges and potential policy opportunities to support commercial scale CCUS deployment. In current domestic and electricity and oil markets, CCUS faces economic challenges for commercial deployment. In particular, the economic viability of CCUS has been impacted by the sustained low oil prices that have limited the potential for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) to serve as a near-term utilization opportunity for the captured CO2. In addition, large scale commercial adoption of CCUS is constrained by regulatory inconsistencies and uncertainties across the United States, high initial capital costs, achieving familiarity with new technology applications to existing markets, developing a successful performance track record to acquire financing agreements, and competing against well-established incumbent technologies. CCUS also has additional technical hurdles for measurement, verification, and reporting within states that have existing policy and regulatory frameworks for climate change mitigation. In addition to fossil-fuel based CCUS, we will discuss emerging opportunities to utilize CCUS fueled by gasified biomass resulting in carbon negative power generation with expanded economic opportunities associated with the enhanced carbon sequestration. Successful technology development of CCUS technology requires a portfolio of research leading to technical advances, advances in financial instruments to leverage the benefits of multiple commodity markets (e.g. natural gas, oil, biomass), and policy instruments that address regulatory hurdles posed CCUS technology deployment.

Magnetic nanoparticle-based cancer nanodiagnostics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zubair, Yousaf Muhammad; Yu, Jing; Hou, Yang-Long; Gao, Song

2013-05-01

Diagnosis facilitates the discovery of an impending disease. A complete and accurate treatment of cancer depends heavily on its early medical diagnosis. Cancer, one of the most fatal diseases world-wide, consistently affects a larger number of patients each year. Magnetism, a physical property arising from the motion of electrical charges, which causes attraction and repulsion between objects and does not involve radiation, has been under intense investigation for several years. Magnetic materials show great promise in the application of image contrast enhancement to accurately image and diagnose cancer. Chelating gadolinium (Gd III) and magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have the prospect to pave the way for diagnosis, operative management, and adjuvant therapy of different kinds of cancers. The potential of MNP-based magnetic resonance (MR) contrast agents (CAs) now makes it possible to image portions of a tumor in parts of the body that would be unclear with the conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Multiple functionalities like variety of targeting ligands and image contrast enhancement have recently been added to the MNPs. Keeping aside the additional complexities in synthetic steps, costs, more convoluted behavior, and effects in-vivo, multifunctional MNPs still face great regulatory hurdles before clinical availability for cancer patients. The trade-off between additional functionality and complexity is a subject of ongoing debate. The recent progress regarding the types, design, synthesis, morphology, characterization, modification, and the in-vivo and in-vitro uses of different MRI contrast agents, including MNPs, to diagnose cancer will be the focus of this review. As our knowledge of MNPs' characteristics and applications expands, their role in the future management of cancer patients will become very important. Current hurdles are also discussed, along with future prospects of MNPs as the savior of cancer victims.

Disease Mapping of Zero-excessive Mesothelioma Data in Flanders

PubMed Central

Neyens, Thomas; Lawson, Andrew B.; Kirby, Russell S.; Nuyts, Valerie; Watjou, Kevin; Aregay, Mehreteab; Carroll, Rachel; Nawrot, Tim S.; Faes, Christel

2016-01-01

Purpose To investigate the distribution of mesothelioma in Flanders using Bayesian disease mapping models that account for both an excess of zeros and overdispersion. Methods The numbers of newly diagnosed mesothelioma cases within all Flemish municipalities between 1999 and 2008 were obtained from the Belgian Cancer Registry. To deal with overdispersion, zero-inflation and geographical association, the hurdle combined model was proposed, which has three components: a Bernoulli zero-inflation mixture component to account for excess zeros, a gamma random effect to adjust for overdispersion and a normal conditional autoregressive random effect to attribute spatial association. This model was compared with other existing methods in literature. Results The results indicate that hurdle models with a random effects term accounting for extra-variance in the Bernoulli zero-inflation component fit the data better than hurdle models that do not take overdispersion in the occurrence of zeros into account. Furthermore, traditional models that do not take into account excessive zeros but contain at least one random effects term that models extra-variance in the counts have better fits compared to their hurdle counterparts. In other words, the extra-variability, due to an excess of zeros, can be accommodated by spatially structured and/or unstructured random effects in a Poisson model such that the hurdle mixture model is not necessary. Conclusions Models taking into account zero-inflation do not always provide better fits to data with excessive zeros than less complex models. In this study, a simple conditional autoregressive model identified a cluster in mesothelioma cases near a former asbestos processing plant (Kapelle-op-den-Bos). This observation is likely linked with historical local asbestos exposures. Future research will clarify this. PMID:27908590

Disease mapping of zero-excessive mesothelioma data in Flanders.

PubMed

Neyens, Thomas; Lawson, Andrew B; Kirby, Russell S; Nuyts, Valerie; Watjou, Kevin; Aregay, Mehreteab; Carroll, Rachel; Nawrot, Tim S; Faes, Christel

2017-01-01

To investigate the distribution of mesothelioma in Flanders using Bayesian disease mapping models that account for both an excess of zeros and overdispersion. The numbers of newly diagnosed mesothelioma cases within all Flemish municipalities between 1999 and 2008 were obtained from the Belgian Cancer Registry. To deal with overdispersion, zero inflation, and geographical association, the hurdle combined model was proposed, which has three components: a Bernoulli zero-inflation mixture component to account for excess zeros, a gamma random effect to adjust for overdispersion, and a normal conditional autoregressive random effect to attribute spatial association. This model was compared with other existing methods in literature. The results indicate that hurdle models with a random effects term accounting for extra variance in the Bernoulli zero-inflation component fit the data better than hurdle models that do not take overdispersion in the occurrence of zeros into account. Furthermore, traditional models that do not take into account excessive zeros but contain at least one random effects term that models extra variance in the counts have better fits compared to their hurdle counterparts. In other words, the extra variability, due to an excess of zeros, can be accommodated by spatially structured and/or unstructured random effects in a Poisson model such that the hurdle mixture model is not necessary. Models taking into account zero inflation do not always provide better fits to data with excessive zeros than less complex models. In this study, a simple conditional autoregressive model identified a cluster in mesothelioma cases near a former asbestos processing plant (Kapelle-op-den-Bos). This observation is likely linked with historical local asbestos exposures. Future research will clarify this. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

7T Magnetization Transfer and Chemical Exchange Saturation Transfer MRI of Cortical Gray Matter: Can We Detect Neurochemical and Macromolecular Abnormalities

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

with fMRI , and CEST acquisitions. Analysis hurdles were noted in the qMT, which we discuss here. Recruitment continues in the MS cohort (all healthy...Saturation Transfer (CEST) • Magnetization Transfer (MT) • Brain • Cortical Gray Matter (cGM) • Multiple Sclerosis (MS) • Functional MRI ( fMRI ) • Pool Size...MPRAGE Anatomical – 2:12 • fMRI Resting State – 8:34 • fMRI N-Back task – 8:30 • fMRI Trailmaking task – 4:14 The current scan time for all scans is

Background and Epidemiology

PubMed Central

Sanders, Don B.; Fink, Aliza

2016-01-01

SYNOPSIS Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common autosomal recessive disease in Caucasians. Significant advances in therapies and outcomes have occurred for people with CF over the past 30 years. Many of these improvements have come about through the concerted efforts of the US CF Foundation and international CF societies, networks of CF care centers, and the worldwide community of care providers, researchers, and patients and families. Despite these gains, there are still hurdles to overcome to continue to improve the quality of life, reduce CF complications, prolong survival, and ultimately cure CF. This article reviews the epidemiology of CF, including trends in incidence and prevalence, clinical characteristics, common complications, and survival. PMID:27469176

[Actuals of the treatment for gender identity disorder at puberty: introducing the suppression of secondary sexual characteristics from psychotherapy].

PubMed

Koh, Jun

2013-01-01

We have treated young patients who feel gender dysphoria to help them accept their feelings of disconnection. We tell them that such feelings of disconnection are never strange, so they do not have to be suppressed, and can be expressed. To do that, the most important thing is that their parents firmly accept the situation, whereas they are the ones who also feel the most anxious. We need to provide psychological support carefully. The first major hurdle for children who have gender dysphoria is elementary school, even if parents are accepting. In elementary school, even children can distinguish beween male and female, and there are many situations where there is separation by gender in school events, so it is difficult to realize the expression of disconnection without school support. Therefore, understanding by school teachers is needed. When a school shows understanding, parental anxiety is alleviated. When a teacher provides firm support, children around them are more likely to accept the situation. Accordingly, support for children who have gender dysphoria consists of three pillars. The first of these is to help children accept their feelings of gender dysphoria and feel that they can be expressed. The second is to help their parents accept gender dysphoria and create an environment where it can be expressed. The third is to encourage schools to actively create such an environment. To deal with concrete problems which children face by providing these approaches promptly assists in promoting the social growth of children. Even if children feeling gender dysphoria have active school lives with such support, they face the following major hurdle : the secondary sexual characteristics. It has been reported in not only foreign countries but also Japan that there are many children who become mentally unbalanced and enter a maladaptive state, such as truancy and self-injury, on secondary sexual development. In the West, it has been reported that suppressive therapy for the secondary sexual characteristics with a GnRH agonist (gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist) is effective, although it has been little used in Japan, and a mentally balanced state has been maintained in cases we have been involved with. We consider it important to provide support which enables children who have gender dysphoria to overcome this crisis while extensively providing medical treatment.

Establishing a composite tissue allotransplantation program.

PubMed

Pomahac, Bohdan

2012-01-01

Composite tissue allotransplantation (CTA) has emerged as a promising surgical option to restore the form and function of missing or severely damaged structures such as the face, hands, or trachea. Currently, there are four active CTA programs in the United States and numerous others under development. The process of development of a CTA program in the United States involves successful collaboration between a strong project leader with vested clinical research interest, a multidisciplinary team of investigators, an Institutional Review Board, a regional Organ Processing Organization (PO), and the hospital's administration. The process of establishment of a CTA program can be slow and lengthy, therefore the project leader must strive to maintain the enthusiasm alive and drive the project forward. At all phases of development, the project must remain focused on the patients, must recognize and address all potential patient safety issues, must take into account the concerns, issues and logistic hurdles faced by the OPO, and must be financially responsible by ensuring that postoperative costs related to medical care and life-long immunosuppression are covered by medical insurance. This article describes the process of establishment of a CTA program at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA with special emphasis on strategy and planning. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

The Janus-Faced Role of Gambling Flow in Addiction Issues.

PubMed

Trivedi, Rohit H; Teichert, Thorsten

2017-03-01

Flow experience has been widely investigated in experiential activities such as sports, the performing arts, gaming, and Internet usage. Most studies focus on the positive aspects of flow experience and its effect on performance. In stark contrast, gambling research focusing on the negative side of addiction lacks an in-depth investigation of gamblers' (positive) flow encounters. This separation of research lines seems out of place given that recent research indicates connections between flow and addiction. Joining both constructs in a causal-effects model helps one gain a better understanding of their relationship and its contingencies. This article empirically investigates whether and how it is possible to observe a "Janus face" of flow with its various sub-dimensions in online gambling. Empirical data were collected from 500 online gamblers by applying a structured questionnaire with established scales. The data were analyzed with a confirmatory factor analysis and a double-hurdle model to separate casual gamblers who are unsusceptible to any addiction issues from gamblers affected by initiatory addiction issues. The findings indicate that online gambling addiction is negatively influenced by two sub-dimensions of flow experience, namely a sense of control and concentration on the task at hand, whereas it is enhanced by a transformation of time and autotelic experience.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mudd, M.J.

The successful Clean Coal Technology projects which are being discussed in this conference are all a testament to the positive advancements that can be made with environmentally superior technologies when the government and industry cooperate in the context of a properly funded and a well thought-out program. Many of the technologies developed in the Clean Coal Technology Program have taken a competitive position in the marketplace, and many others are on the verge of being competitive in the marketplace. Based on the success of the Clean Coal Technology Program, one would expect that they would be ready for full deploymentmore » in the marketplace with the approach of the next millennium. This is not happening. There are several hurdles that impede their deployment. Some of those hurdles, such as the higher first-of-a-kind cost and technology risk factors that accompany not-yet mature technologies, have existed since the initiation of the Clean Coal Technology Program. However, several new hurdles are impeding the market penetration of Clean Coal Technologies. Those hurdles include the radically different marketplace due to the restructuring of the electric utility industry, a soft market, the difficulty in financing new power plants, low natural gas prices, and lower-cost and higher-efficiency natural gas combined cycle technology.« less

Disease quantification on PET/CT images without object delineation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tong, Yubing; Udupa, Jayaram K.; Odhner, Dewey; Wu, Caiyun; Fitzpatrick, Danielle; Winchell, Nicole; Schuster, Stephen J.; Torigian, Drew A.

2017-03-01

The derivation of quantitative information from images to make quantitative radiology (QR) clinically practical continues to face a major image analysis hurdle because of image segmentation challenges. This paper presents a novel approach to disease quantification (DQ) via positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) images that explores how to decouple DQ methods from explicit dependence on object segmentation through the use of only object recognition results to quantify disease burden. The concept of an object-dependent disease map is introduced to express disease severity without performing explicit delineation and partial volume correction of either objects or lesions. The parameters of the disease map are estimated from a set of training image data sets. The idea is illustrated on 20 lung lesions and 20 liver lesions derived from 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG)-PET/CT scans of patients with various types of cancers and also on 20 NEMA PET/CT phantom data sets. Our preliminary results show that, on phantom data sets, "disease burden" can be estimated to within 2% of known absolute true activity. Notwithstanding the difficulty in establishing true quantification on patient PET images, our results achieve 8% deviation from "true" estimates, with slightly larger deviations for small and diffuse lesions where establishing ground truth becomes really questionable, and smaller deviations for larger lesions where ground truth set up becomes more reliable. We are currently exploring extensions of the approach to include fully automated body-wide DQ, extensions to just CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) alone, to PET/CT performed with radiotracers other than FDG, and other functional forms of disease maps.

A comparative study of count models: application to pedestrian-vehicle crashes along Malaysia federal roads.

PubMed

Hosseinpour, Mehdi; Pour, Mehdi Hossein; Prasetijo, Joewono; Yahaya, Ahmad Shukri; Ghadiri, Seyed Mohammad Reza

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of various roadway characteristics on the incidence of pedestrian-vehicle crashes by developing a set of crash prediction models on 543 km of Malaysia federal roads over a 4-year time span between 2007 and 2010. Four count models including the Poisson, negative binomial (NB), hurdle Poisson (HP), and hurdle negative binomial (HNB) models were developed and compared to model the number of pedestrian crashes. The results indicated the presence of overdispersion in the pedestrian crashes (PCs) and showed that it is due to excess zero rather than variability in the crash data. To handle the issue, the hurdle Poisson model was found to be the best model among the considered models in terms of comparative measures. Moreover, the variables average daily traffic, heavy vehicle traffic, speed limit, land use, and area type were significantly associated with PCs.

Early Career Investigator Opportunities in Geophysics with IRIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colella, H.; Sumy, D. F.; Schutt, D.

2016-12-01

Early career geoscientists face many challenges as they transition from senior level graduate students into postdoctoral researchers, tenure-track faculty positions, or the vast array of employment opportunities outside of academia. However, few receive adequate mentoring or guidance on how to successfully make the leap from graduate school to a fulfilling career. In recognition of these hurdles and challenges, the Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology (IRIS) created an early-career investigator (ECI) program in 2011 to help reduce barriers for newly minted scientists, researchers, and educators on their path to success. The core mission of the ECI program is to organize practical resources and professional development opportunities for ECIs. The initiative has encouraged and supported collaboration between ECIs and senior scientists through colloquium lectureships and visiting scientist collaborations, which aimed to increase the visibility of ECIs and their research and to promote interaction between junior and senior scientists outside of their home institutions. Additionally, ECI-centric events are held at various national meetings to showcase the range of career paths available in geophysics, openly discuss the challenges ECIs face (e.g., work-life balance, job search difficulties, teaching challenges), expose participants to the ECI program's initiatives and resources, and better inform IRIS about the needs of the community. Post-workshop evaluations reveal ECIs are eager to have exposure to a variety of workforce options and a forum in which to ask difficult questions. Of note, there is a variety of cultural knowledge and expectations assumed in both the academic and professional worlds that is often not formally disseminated. The ECI program aims to better understand and facilitate transfer of this knowledge and reduce barriers to success for ECIs from both traditional and non-traditional backgrounds. The program also features webinars focused on a range of research and career topics, which can be attended in real-time or viewed on YouTube, with over 6,000 total views to date. Moving forward, an additional focus will be on intentional mentorship opportunities as we continue to build a productive, supportive, and successful early career community.

Age-Related Differences in Brain Electrical Activity during Extended Continuous Face Recognition in Younger Children, Older Children and Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Strien, Jan W.; Glimmerveen, Johanna C.; Franken, Ingmar H. A.; Martens, Vanessa E. G.; de Bruin, Eveline A.

2011-01-01

To examine the development of recognition memory in primary-school children, 36 healthy younger children (8-9 years old) and 36 healthy older children (11-12 years old) participated in an ERP study with an extended continuous face recognition task (Study 1). Each face of a series of 30 faces was shown randomly six times interspersed with…

Functional linear models for zero-inflated count data with application to modeling hospitalizations in patients on dialysis.

PubMed

Sentürk, Damla; Dalrymple, Lorien S; Nguyen, Danh V

2014-11-30

We propose functional linear models for zero-inflated count data with a focus on the functional hurdle and functional zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) models. Although the hurdle model assumes the counts come from a mixture of a degenerate distribution at zero and a zero-truncated Poisson distribution, the ZIP model considers a mixture of a degenerate distribution at zero and a standard Poisson distribution. We extend the generalized functional linear model framework with a functional predictor and multiple cross-sectional predictors to model counts generated by a mixture distribution. We propose an estimation procedure for functional hurdle and ZIP models, called penalized reconstruction, geared towards error-prone and sparsely observed longitudinal functional predictors. The approach relies on dimension reduction and pooling of information across subjects involving basis expansions and penalized maximum likelihood techniques. The developed functional hurdle model is applied to modeling hospitalizations within the first 2 years from initiation of dialysis, with a high percentage of zeros, in the Comprehensive Dialysis Study participants. Hospitalization counts are modeled as a function of sparse longitudinal measurements of serum albumin concentrations, patient demographics, and comorbidities. Simulation studies are used to study finite sample properties of the proposed method and include comparisons with an adaptation of standard principal components regression. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Face-space: A unifying concept in face recognition research.

PubMed

Valentine, Tim; Lewis, Michael B; Hills, Peter J

2016-10-01

The concept of a multidimensional psychological space, in which faces can be represented according to their perceived properties, is fundamental to the modern theorist in face processing. Yet the idea was not clearly expressed until 1991. The background that led to the development of face-space is explained, and its continuing influence on theories of face processing is discussed. Research that has explored the properties of the face-space and sought to understand caricature, including facial adaptation paradigms, is reviewed. Face-space as a theoretical framework for understanding the effect of ethnicity and the development of face recognition is evaluated. Finally, two applications of face-space in the forensic setting are discussed. From initially being presented as a model to explain distinctiveness, inversion, and the effect of ethnicity, face-space has become a central pillar in many aspects of face processing. It is currently being developed to help us understand adaptation effects with faces. While being in principle a simple concept, face-space has shaped, and continues to shape, our understanding of face perception.

Jump Horse Safety: Reconciling Public Debate and Australian Thoroughbred Jump Racing Data, 2012–2014

PubMed Central

Ruse, Karen; Davison, Aidan; Bridle, Kerry

2015-01-01

Simple Summary This paper documents the dynamics of Australian thoroughbred jump racing in the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons with the aim of informing debate about risks to horses and the future of this activity. We conclude that the safety of Australian jump racing has improved in recent years but that steeplechases are considerably riskier for horses than hurdle races. Abstract Thoroughbred jump racing sits in the spotlight of contemporary welfare and ethical debates about horse racing. In Australia, jump racing comprises hurdle and steeplechase races and has ceased in all but two states, Victoria and South Australia. This paper documents the size, geography, composition, and dynamics of Australian jump racing for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons with a focus on debate about risks to horses. We found that the majority of Australian jump racing is regional, based in Victoria, and involves a small group of experienced trainers and jockeys. Australian jump horses are on average 6.4 years of age. The jump career of the majority of horses involves participating in three or less hurdle races and over one season. Almost one quarter of Australian jump horses race only once. There were ten horse fatalities in races over the study period, with an overall fatality rate of 5.1 fatalities per 1000 horses starting in a jump race (0.51%). There was significant disparity between the fatality rate for hurdles, 0.75 fatalities per 1000 starts (0.075%) and steeplechases, 14 fatalities per 1000 starts (1.4%). Safety initiatives introduced by regulators in 2010 appear to have significantly decreased risks to horses in hurdles but have had little or no effect in steeplechases. Our discussion considers these data in light of public controversy, political debate, and industry regulation related to jump horse safety. PMID:26506396

Risk Mitigation during Human Electromuscular Incapacitation Research

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-30

that simulated different arrest conditions.Error! Bookmark not defined. Group 1 completed a 150 meter sprint followed by a 44-inch wall hurdle...mL thousandth (milli) of a liter mm thousandths (milli) of a meter mM/L thousandths (milli) of a mole per liter NAMRU-SA Naval Medical... sprint plus a 44-inch hurdle, 45 seconds of striking a heavy bag, a 10-second TASER X-25 EMI exposure, sprinting from a trained K-9 unit while wearing a

Examination of redirected continuous miner scrubber discharge configurations for exhaust face ventilation systems

PubMed Central

Organiscak, J.A.; Beck, T.W.

2015-01-01

The U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR) has recently studied several redirected scrubber discharge configurations in its full-scale continuous miner gallery for both dust and gas control when using an exhaust face ventilation system. Dust and gas measurements around the continuous mining machine in the laboratory showed that the conventional scrubber discharge directed outby the face with a 12.2-m (40-ft) exhaust curtain setback appeared to be one of the better configurations for controlling dust and gas. Redirecting all the air toward the face equally up both sides of the machine increased the dust and gas concentrations around the machine. When all of the air was redirected toward the face on the off-curtain side of the machine, gas accumulations tended to be reduced at the face, at the expense of increased dust levels in the return and on the curtain side of the mining machine. A 6.1-m (20-ft) exhaust curtain setback without the scrubber operating resulted in the lowest dust levels around the continuous mining machine, but this configuration resulted in some of the highest levels of dust in the return and gas on the off-curtain side of the mining face. Two field studies showed some similarities to the laboratory findings, with elevated dust levels at the rear corners of the continuous miner when all of the scrubber exhaust was redirected toward the face either up the off-tubing side or equally up both sides of the mining machine. PMID:26251566

Solid anaerobic digestion: State-of-art, scientific and technological hurdles.

PubMed

André, Laura; Pauss, André; Ribeiro, Thierry

2018-01-01

In this paper, a state-of-art about solid anaerobic digestion (AD), focused on recent progress and trends of research is proposed. Solid anaerobic digestion should be the most appropriate process for degradation of by-products with high total solid (TS) content, especially lignocellulosic materials like agricultural waste (straw, manure), household waste and food waste. Solid AD is already widely used in waste water treatment plant for treating plant for sewage sludge but could be more developed for lignocellulosic materials with high TS content. Many research works were carried out in Europe on solid AD, focused on current hurdles (BMP, codigestion, inhibition, microbial population, rheology, water transfers, inoculum, etc.) in order to optimize the solid AD process. In conclusion, hurdles of solid AD process should and must be solved in order to propose better productivity and profitability of such system operating with high TS content (>15%), favouring reliable industrial processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Beyond the conventional: meeting the challenges of landscape governance within the European Landscape Convention?

PubMed

Scott, Alister

2011-10-01

Academics and policy makers seeking to deconstruct landscape face major challenges conceptually, methodologically and institutionally. The meaning(s), identity(ies) and management of landscape are controversial and contested. The European Landscape Convention provides an opportunity for action and change set within new governance agendas addressing interdisciplinarity and spatial planning. This paper critically reviews the complex web of conceptual and methodological frameworks that characterise landscape planning and management and then focuses on emerging landscape governance in Scotland within a mixed method approach involving policy analyses, semi-structured interviews and best practice case studies. Using Dower's (2008) criteria from the Articles of the European Landscape Convention, the results show that whilst some progress has been made in landscape policy and practice, largely through the actions of key individuals and champions, there are significant institutional hurdles and resource limitations to overcome. The need to mainstream positive landscape outcomes requires a significant culture change where a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Polymer Therapeutics: Biomarkers and New Approaches for Personalized Cancer Treatment.

PubMed

Atkinson, Stuart P; Andreu, Zoraida; Vicent, María J

2018-01-23

Polymer therapeutics (PTs) provides a potentially exciting approach for the treatment of many diseases by enhancing aqueous solubility and altering drug pharmacokinetics at both the whole organism and subcellular level leading to improved therapeutic outcomes. However, the failure of many polymer-drug conjugates in clinical trials suggests that we may need to stratify patients in order to match each patient to the right PT. In this concise review, we hope to assess potential PT-specific biomarkers for cancer treatment, with a focus on new studies, detection methods, new models and the opportunities this knowledge will bring for the development of novel PT-based anti-cancer strategies. We discuss the various "hurdles" that a given PT faces on its passage from the syringe to the tumor (and beyond), including the passage through the bloodstream, tumor targeting, tumor uptake and the intracellular release of the active agent. However, we also discuss other relevant concepts and new considerations in the field, which we hope will provide new insight into the possible applications of PT-related biomarkers.

Depression in women in Indian context.

PubMed

Bohra, Neena; Srivastava, Shruti; Bhatia, M S

2015-07-01

The estimate of the global burden of disease predicts that depression will be the second-leading cause of disability worldwide by 2020. Depression is widely prevalent in women in all age groups especially in India where 1.2 billion population lives. In the current scenario of underdiagnosed, untreated cases of females suffering from depression, the hurdles faced by Indian women include inadequate number of mental health professionals, lack of awareness, stigma, disadvantaged position of women, multiple roles, increased levels of stress, and domestic violence. The literature search included an electronic database, published materials, and standard textbooks. The authors have provided a brief overview of different types of depression in females. Epidemiology, etiology, clinical presentation, and management linked to the reproductive cycle of women have been covered. Awareness through public education, early detection, organized national mental health programs, comprehensive management, with judicious utilization of the limited resources would tackle the rising number of cases of female depression, in a cost effective manner, thereby preventing suicide.

Defensive applications of gene transfer technology in the face of bioterrorism: DNA-based vaccines and immune targeting.

PubMed

Ackley, Catherine J; Greene, Michael R; Lowrey, Christopher H

2003-12-01

Gene transfer involves the introduction of an engineered gene into a person's cells with the expectation that the protein expressed from the gene will produce a therapeutic benefit. Strategies based on this principle have led to the approval of > 600 clinical trials and enrollment of approximately 3500 subjects worldwide in attempts to treat diseases ranging from cancer to AIDS to cystic fibrosis. While gene therapy has met with limited success and still has many hurdles to overcome before it sees wide application, it may be useful as a defensive strategy against bioterrorism agents including infectious microbes and toxins. Although many defensive strategies are possible, immunological strategies are currently the most developed and are being actively applied to the development of strategies against several of the most virulent potential bio-weapons. While most of these strategies are not yet ready for human application, DNA-based vaccines appear to be among the most promising in the fight against bioterrorism.

New Vaccines for the World's Poorest People.

PubMed

Hotez, Peter J; Bottazzi, Maria Elena; Strych, Ulrich

2016-01-01

The 2000 Millennium Development Goals helped stimulate the development of life-saving childhood vaccines for pneumococcal and rotavirus infections while greatly expanding coverage of existing vaccines. However, there remains an urgent need to develop new vaccines for HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as for respiratory syncytial virus and those chronic and debilitating (mostly parasitic) infections known as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The NTDs represent the most common diseases of people living in extreme poverty and are the subject of this review. The development of NTD vaccines, including those for hookworm infection, schistosomiasis, leishmaniasis, and Chagas disease, is being led by nonprofit product development partnerships (PDPs) working in consortia of academic and industrial partners, including vaccine manufacturers in developing countries. NTD vaccines face unique challenges with respect to their product development and manufacture, as well as their preclinical and clinical testing. We emphasize global efforts to accelerate the development of NTD vaccines and some of the hurdles to ensuring their availability to the world's poorest people.

Marine Invertebrate Metabolites with Anticancer Activities: Solutions to the “Supply Problem”

PubMed Central

Gomes, Nelson G. M.; Dasari, Ramesh; Chandra, Sunena; Kiss, Robert; Kornienko, Alexander

2016-01-01

Marine invertebrates provide a rich source of metabolites with anticancer activities and several marine-derived agents have been approved for the treatment of cancer. However, the limited supply of promising anticancer metabolites from their natural sources is a major hurdle to their preclinical and clinical development. Thus, the lack of a sustainable large-scale supply has been an important challenge facing chemists and biologists involved in marine-based drug discovery. In the current review we describe the main strategies aimed to overcome the supply problem. These include: marine invertebrate aquaculture, invertebrate and symbiont cell culture, culture-independent strategies, total chemical synthesis, semi-synthesis, and a number of hybrid strategies. We provide examples illustrating the application of these strategies for the supply of marine invertebrate-derived anticancer agents. Finally, we encourage the scientific community to develop scalable methods to obtain selected metabolites, which in the authors’ opinion should be pursued due to their most promising anticancer activities. PMID:27213412

Are immigrants in Canada over-represented in riskier jobs relative to Canadian-born labor market participants?

PubMed

Tiagi, Raaj

2015-09-01

This paper uses new data to examine the gap in injury and fatality rates between immigrant men and women and their Canadian-born counterparts. Data from the 2011 National Household Survey and the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada were used to determine the difference in occupational and industry injury and fatality rates between various arrival cohorts of immigrants and those Canadian born. For both men and women, there is no significant difference in occupational injury and fatality rates between various arrival cohorts of immigrants and Canadian-born workers. However, industry injury and fatality rates are lower for the most recent arrival cohorts of immigrants relative to Canadian-born workers. Although immigrants face many hurdles and challenges in their resettlement process in Canada, given the evidence from the paper, they are not likely to be at higher risk for work-related injuries relative to those Canadian-born. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A report from CPhI Worldwide 2013, Fifth Annual Pre-Connect Conference (October 22-24, 2013 - Frankfurt, Germany).

PubMed

Kuhrt, K; Gilpatrick, J

2013-11-01

A day before the start of the 2013 Conference on Pharmaceutical Ingredients (CPhI) Worldwide, the world's leading pharmaceutical networking event, a number of attendees gathered for the Fifth Annual Pre-Connect Conference to discuss trends in business development, manufacturing and regulatory arenas. Of the six modules presented at the meeting, one was dedicated to the sourcing environment in emerging markets, with special attention paid to developments in India and China. Other modules evaluated the current trends in the creation of generics and supergenerics in emerging markets. Additionally, there were updates on issues surrounding the regulatory and development hurdles that biosimilars and biobetters are facing today. Common themes for both discussions include appropriate pricing and erosion demographics for generics and biosimilars, licensing scenarios, commercialization strategies, and how to stay competitive and find novel innovations within new delivery systems, improved formulations and modifications to create better quality active pharmaceutical ingredients. Copyright 2013 Prous Science, S.A.U. or its licensors. All rights reserved.

Design Considerations for Developing Biodegradable Magnesium Implants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brar, Harpreet S.; Keselowsky, Benjamin G.; Sarntinoranont, Malisa; Manuel, Michele V.

The integration of biodegradable and bioabsorbable magnesium implants into the human body is a complex undertaking that faces major challenges. The complexity arises from the fact that biomaterials must meet both engineering and physiological requirements to ensure the desired properties. Historically, efforts have been focused on the behavior of commercial magnesium alloys in biological environments and their resultant effect on cell-mediated processes. Developing causal relationships between alloy chemistry and micro structure, and its effect on cellular behavior can be a difficult and time intensive process. A systems design approach driven by thermodynamics has the power to provide significant contributions in developing the next generation of magnesium alloy implants with controlled degradability, biocompatibility, and optimized mechanical properties, at reduced time and cost. This approach couples experimental research with theory and mechanistic modeling for the accelerated development of materials. The aim of this article is to enumerate this strategy, design considerations and hurdles for developing new magnesium alloys for use as biodegradable implant materials [1].

Screening of freshwater and seawater microalgae strains in fully controlled photobioreactors for biodiesel production.

PubMed

Taleb, A; Kandilian, R; Touchard, R; Montalescot, V; Rinaldi, T; Taha, S; Takache, H; Marchal, L; Legrand, J; Pruvost, J

2016-10-01

Strain selection is one of the primary hurdles facing cost-effective microalgal biodiesel production. Indeed, the strain used affects both upstream and downstream biodiesel production processes. This study presents a screening procedure that considers the most significant criteria in microalgal biodiesel production including TAG production and wet extraction and recovery of TAGs. Fourteen freshwater and seawater strains were investigated. Large variation was observed between the strains in all the screening criteria. The overall screening procedure ultimately led to the identification of Parachlorella kessleri UTEX2229 and Nannochloropsis gaditana CCMP527 as the best freshwater and seawater strains, respectively. They featured the largest areal TAG productivity equal to 2.7×10(-3) and 2.3×10(-3)kgm(-2)d(-1), respectively. These two strains also displayed encouraging cell fragility in a high pressure bead milling process with 69% and 98% cell disruption at 1750bar making them remarkable strains for TAG extraction in wet environment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Barriers to Liposomal Gene Delivery: from Application Site to the Target.

PubMed

Saffari, Mostafa; Moghimi, Hamid Reza; Dass, Crispin R

2016-01-01

Gene therapy is a therapeutic approach to deliver genetic material into cells to alter their function in entire organism. One promising form of gene delivery system (DDS) is liposomes. The success of liposome-mediated gene delivery is a multifactorial issue and well-designed liposomal systems might lead to optimized gene transfection particularly in vivo. Liposomal gene delivery systems face different barriers from their site of application to their target, which is inside the cells. These barriers include presystemic obstacles (epithelial barriers), systemic barriers in blood circulation and cellular barriers. Epithelial barriers differ depending on the route of administration. Systemic barriers include enzymatic degradation, binding and opsonisation. Both of these barriers can act as limiting hurdles that genetic material and their vector should overcome before reaching the cells. Finally liposomes should overcome cellular barriers that include cell entrance, endosomal escape and nuclear uptake. These barriers and their impact on liposomal gene delivery will be discussed in this review.

Fungal biology and agriculture: revisiting the field

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yarden, O.; Ebbole, D.J.; Freeman, S.; Rodriguez, R.J.; Dickman, M. B.

2003-01-01

Plant pathology has made significant progress over the years, a process that involved overcoming a variety of conceptual and technological hurdles. Descriptive mycology and the advent of chemical plant-disease management have been followed by biochemical and physiological studies of fungi and their hosts. The later establishment of biochemical genetics along with the introduction of DNA-mediated transformation have set the stage for dissection of gene function and advances in our understanding of fungal cell biology and plant-fungus interactions. Currently, with the advent of high-throughput technologies, we have the capacity to acquire vast data sets that have direct relevance to the numerous subdisciplines within fungal biology and pathology. These data provide unique opportunities for basic research and for engineering solutions to important agricultural problems. However, we also are faced with the challenge of data organization and mining to analyze the relationships between fungal and plant genomes and to elucidate the physiological function of pertinent DNA sequences. We present our perspective of fungal biology and agriculture, including administrative and political challenges to plant protection research.

Nuclear Energy Present and Future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutchinson, I. H.

2006-10-01

Nuclear power plants currently generate about 20% of US and 17% of world electricity, which makes nuclear the largest non-emitting energy source in current use. Concerns about global climate change have led to a remarkable transformation of attitudes towards nuclear energy. There remain key challenges that must be faced when considering expansion of its contribution. In summary they are: Economics, Safety, Waste Disposal, and Proliferation. Electricity from legacy fission plants is highly competitive with fossil, but perceived financial risks make the large capital cost fraction a key hurdle to new-construction, and costs of 2 per installed Watt electrical are currently considered only just economically attractive. Proliferation of nuclear-weapons-enabling technology is a major concern for global stability, in which fusion may have significant technical advantages over fission. But proliferation control requires a combination of both technical and political initiatives. The feasibility of supplying process heat or hydrogen from nuclear energy inspires additional research into novel reactor concepts and associated technologies. The presentation will lay out this overall context of the nuclear energy renaissance.

Future challenges for vection research: definitions, functional significance, measures, and neural bases

PubMed Central

Palmisano, Stephen; Allison, Robert S.; Schira, Mark M.; Barry, Robert J.

2015-01-01

This paper discusses four major challenges facing modern vection research. Challenge 1 (Defining Vection) outlines the different ways that vection has been defined in the literature and discusses their theoretical and experimental ramifications. The term vection is most often used to refer to visual illusions of self-motion induced in stationary observers (by moving, or simulating the motion of, the surrounding environment). However, vection is increasingly being used to also refer to non-visual illusions of self-motion, visually mediated self-motion perceptions, and even general subjective experiences (i.e., “feelings”) of self-motion. The common thread in all of these definitions is the conscious subjective experience of self-motion. Thus, Challenge 2 (Significance of Vection) tackles the crucial issue of whether such conscious experiences actually serve functional roles during self-motion (e.g., in terms of controlling or guiding the self-motion). After more than 100 years of vection research there has been surprisingly little investigation into its functional significance. Challenge 3 (Vection Measures) discusses the difficulties with existing subjective self-report measures of vection (particularly in the context of contemporary research), and proposes several more objective measures of vection based on recent empirical findings. Finally, Challenge 4 (Neural Basis) reviews the recent neuroimaging literature examining the neural basis of vection and discusses the hurdles still facing these investigations. PMID:25774143

Jump Horse Safety: Reconciling Public Debate and Australian Thoroughbred Jump Racing Data, 2012-2014.

PubMed

Ruse, Karen; Davison, Aidan; Bridle, Kerry

2015-10-22

Thoroughbred jump racing sits in the spotlight of contemporary welfare and ethical debates about horse racing. In Australia, jump racing comprises hurdle and steeplechase races and has ceased in all but two states, Victoria and South Australia. This paper documents the size, geography, composition, and dynamics of Australian jump racing for the 2012, 2013, and 2014 seasons with a focus on debate about risks to horses. We found that the majority of Australian jump racing is regional, based in Victoria, and involves a small group of experienced trainers and jockeys. Australian jump horses are on average 6.4 years of age. The jump career of the majority of horses involves participating in three or less hurdle races and over one season. Almost one quarter of Australian jump horses race only once. There were ten horse fatalities in races over the study period, with an overall fatality rate of 5.1 fatalities per 1000 horses starting in a jump race (0.51%). There was significant disparity between the fatality rate for hurdles, 0.75 fatalities per 1000 starts (0.075%) and steeplechases, 14 fatalities per 1000 starts (1.4%). Safety initiatives introduced by regulators in 2010 appear to have significantly decreased risks to horses in hurdles but have had little or no effect in steeplechases. Our discussion considers these Animals 2015, 5 1073 data in light of public controversy, political debate, and industry regulation related to jump horse safety.

Self-preserving cosmetics.

PubMed

Varvaresou, A; Papageorgiou, S; Tsirivas, E; Protopapa, E; Kintziou, H; Kefala, V; Demetzos, C

2009-06-01

Preservatives are added to products for two reasons: first, to prevent microbial spoilage and therefore to prolong the shelf life of the product; second, to protect the consumer from a potential infection. Although chemical preservatives prevent microbial growth, their safety is questioned by a growing segment of consumers. Therefore, there is a considerable interest in the development of preservative-free or self-preserving cosmetics. In these formulations traditional/chemical preservatives have been replaced by other cosmetic ingredients with antimicrobial properties that are not legislated as preservatives according to the Annex VI of the Commission Directive 76/768/EEC and the amending directives (2003/15/EC, 2007/17/EC and 2007/22/EC). 'Hurdle Technology', a technology that has been used for the control of product safety in the food industry since 1970s, has also been applied for the production of self-preserving cosmetics. 'Hurdle Technology' is a term used to describe the intelligent combination of different preservation factors or hurdles to deteriorate the growth of microorganisms. Adherence to current good manufacturing practice, appropriate packaging, careful choice of the form of the emulsion, low water activity and low or high pH values are significant variables for the control of microbial growth in cosmetic formulations. This paper describes the application of the basic principles of 'Hurdle Technology' in the production of self-preserving cosmetics. Multifunctional antimicrobial ingredients and plant-derived essential oils and extracts that are used as alternative or natural preservatives and are not listed in Annex VI of the Cosmetic Directive are also reported.

Supercritical Fluid Technologies to Fabricate Proliposomes.

PubMed

Falconer, James R; Svirskis, Darren; Adil, Ali A; Wu, Zimei

2015-01-01

Proliposomes are stable drug carrier systems designed to form liposomes upon addition of an aqueous phase. In this review, current trends in the use of supercritical fluid (SCF) technologies to prepare proliposomes are discussed. SCF methods are used in pharmaceutical research and industry to address limitations associated with conventional methods of pro/liposome fabrication. The SCF solvent methods of proliposome preparation are eco-friendly (known as green technology) and, along with the SCF anti-solvent methods, could be advantageous over conventional methods; enabling better design of particle morphology (size and shape). The major hurdles of SCF methods include poor scalability to industrial manufacturing which may result in variable particle characteristics. In the case of SCF anti-solvent methods, another hurdle is the reliance on organic solvents. However, the amount of solvent required is typically less than that used by the conventional methods. Another hurdle is that most of the SCF methods used have complicated manufacturing processes, although once the setup has been completed, SCF technologies offer a single-step process in the preparation of proliposomes compared to the multiple steps required by many other methods. Furthermore, there is limited research into how proliposomes will be converted into liposomes for the end-user, and how such a product can be prepared reproducibly in terms of vesicle size and drug loading. These hurdles must be overcome and with more research, SCF methods, especially where the SCF acts as a solvent, have the potential to offer a strong alternative to the conventional methods to prepare proliposomes.

Unmet Communication and Information Needs for Patients with IBD: Implications for Mobile Health Technology.

PubMed

Khan, Sameer; Dasrath, Florence; Farghaly, Sara; Otobo, Emamuzo; Riaz, Muhammad Safwan; Rogers, Jason; Castillo, Anabella; Atreja, Ashish

2016-01-01

In order to develop an application that addresses the most significant challenges facing IBD patients, this qualitative study explored the major hurdles of living with IBD, the information needs of IBD patients, and how application technology may be used to improve quality of life. 15 IBD patients participated in two focus groups of 120 minutes each. Data collection was achieved by combining focus groups with surveys and direct observation of patients looking at a patient-engaged app (HealthPROMISE) screenshots. The survey elicited information on demographics, health literacy and quality of life through the Short IBD Questionnaire (SIBDQ). The needs of IBD patients center around communication as it relates to both patient information needs and navigating the social impacts of IBD on patients' lives: Communication Challenges regarding Information Needs: Patients cited a doctor-patient communication divide where there is a continued lack of goal setting when discussing treatments and a lack of objectivity in disease control. When objectively compared with the SIBDQ, nearly half of the patients in the focus groups wrongly estimated their IBD control.Communication Challenges regarding Social Impacts of IBD: Patients strongly felt that while IBD disrupts routines, adds significant stress, and contributes to a sense of isolation, the impact of these issues would be significantly alleviated through more conversation and better support.Implication for Mobile Health Solutions: Patients want a tool that improves tracking of symptoms, medication adherence and provides education. Physician feedback to patient input on an application is required for long-term sustainability. IBD patients need mobile health technologies that evaluate disease control and the goals of care. Patients feel an objective assessment of their disease control, goal setting and physician feedback will greatly enhance utilization of all mobile health applications.

Cancer nanomedicine: a review of recent success in drug delivery.

PubMed

Tran, Stephanie; DeGiovanni, Peter-Joseph; Piel, Brandon; Rai, Prakash

2017-12-11

Cancer continues to be one of the most difficult global healthcare problems. Although there is a large library of drugs that can be used in cancer treatment, the problem is selectively killing all the cancer cells while reducing collateral toxicity to healthy cells. There are several biological barriers to effective drug delivery in cancer such as renal, hepatic, or immune clearance. Nanoparticles loaded with drugs can be designed to overcome these biological barriers to improve efficacy while reducing morbidity. Nanomedicine has ushered in a new era for drug delivery by improving the therapeutic indices of the active pharmaceutical ingredients engineered within nanoparticles. First generation nanomedicines have received widespread clinical approval over the past two decades, from Doxil ® (liposomal doxorubicin) in 1995 to Onivyde ® (liposomal irinotecan) in 2015. This review highlights the biological barriers to effective drug delivery in cancer, emphasizing the need for nanoparticles for improving therapeutic outcomes. A summary of different nanoparticles used for drug delivery applications in cancer are presented. The review summarizes recent successes in cancer nanomedicine in the clinic. The clinical trials of Onivyde leading to its approval in 2015 by the Food and Drug Adminstration are highlighted as a case study in the recent clinical success of nanomedicine against cancer. Next generation nanomedicines need to be better targeted to specifically destroy cancerous tissue, but face several obstacles in their clinical development, including identification of appropriate biomarkers to target, scale-up of synthesis, and reproducible characterization. These hurdles need to be overcome through multidisciplinary collaborations across academia, pharmaceutical industry, and regulatory agencies in order to achieve the goal of eradicating cancer. This review discusses the current use of clinically approved nanomedicines, the investigation of nanomedicines in clinical trials, and the challenges that may hinder development of the nanomedicines for cancer treatment.

ERP Correlates of Target-Distracter Differentiation in Repeated Runs of a Continuous Recognition Task with Emotional and Neutral Faces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Treese, Anne-Cecile; Johansson, Mikael; Lindgren, Magnus

2010-01-01

The emotional salience of faces has previously been shown to induce memory distortions in recognition memory tasks. This event-related potential (ERP) study used repeated runs of a continuous recognition task with emotional and neutral faces to investigate emotion-induced memory distortions. In the second and third runs, participants made more…

Online Continuing Education for Health Professionals: Does Sticky Design Promote Practice-Relevance?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaghab, Roxanne Ward; Maldonado, Carlos; Whitehead, Dongsook; Bartlett, Felicia; de Bittner, Magaly Rodriguez

2015-01-01

Online continuing education (CE) holds promise as an effective method for rapid dissemination of emerging evidence-based practices in health care. Yet, the field of CE continues to develop and delivery is predominately face-to-face programs. Practice-oriented online educational methods and e-learning platforms are not fully utilized. Educational…

Continuous noninvasive ventilation delivered by a novel total face mask: a case series report.

PubMed

Belchior, Inês; Gonçalves, Miguel R; Winck, João Carlos

2012-03-01

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) has been widely used to decrease the complications associated with tracheal intubation in mechanically ventilated patients. However, nasal ulcerations may occur when conventional masks are used for continuous ventilation. A total face mask, which has no contact with the more sensitive areas of the face, is a possible option. We describe 3 patients with acute respiratory failure due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, who developed nasal bridge skin necrosis during continuous NIV, and one patient with post-extubation respiratory failure due to a high spinal cord injury, who had facial trauma with contraindication for conventional mask use. The total face mask was very well tolerated by all the patients, and permitted safe and efficient continuous NIV for several days until the acute respiratory failure episode resolved. None of the patients required endotracheal intubation during the acute episode.

Health economics and outcomes research within drug development: challenges and opportunities for reimbursement and market access within biopharma research.

PubMed

van Nooten, Floortje; Holmstrom, Stefan; Green, Julia; Wiklund, Ingela; Odeyemi, Isaac A O; Wilcox, Teresa K

2012-06-01

Healthcare decision makers who determine funding for new medical technologies depend on manufacturers to provide evidence of the technology's efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness. Constrained budgets and increasing reliance on formal health technology assessment (HTA) have created an abundance of external hurdles that manufacturers must navigate to ensure successful product commercialization. These demands have pushed pharmaceutical companies to adjust their internal structures to coordinate generation of appropriate evidence. In this article we summarize internal and external opportunities for manufacturers to establish a foundation of evidence for successful market access, starting in Phase I of development and continuing throughout the post-approval product lifecycle. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

cStress: Towards a Gold Standard for Continuous Stress Assessment in the Mobile Environment

PubMed Central

Hovsepian, Karen; al’Absi, Mustafa; Ertin, Emre; Kamarck, Thomas; Nakajima, Motohiro; Kumar, Santosh

2015-01-01

Recent advances in mobile health have produced several new models for inferring stress from wearable sensors. But, the lack of a gold standard is a major hurdle in making clinical use of continuous stress measurements derived from wearable sensors. In this paper, we present a stress model (called cStress) that has been carefully developed with attention to every step of computational modeling including data collection, screening, cleaning, filtering, feature computation, normalization, and model training. More importantly, cStress was trained using data collected from a rigorous lab study with 21 participants and validated on two independently collected data sets — in a lab study on 26 participants and in a week-long field study with 20 participants. In testing, the model obtains a recall of 89% and a false positive rate of 5% on lab data. On field data, the model is able to predict each instantaneous self-report with an accuracy of 72%. PMID:26543926

Engineering of Genetically Arrested Parasites (GAPs) For a Precision Malaria Vaccine.

PubMed

Kreutzfeld, Oriana; Müller, Katja; Matuschewski, Kai

2017-01-01

Continuous stage conversion and swift changes in the antigenic repertoire in response to acquired immunity are hallmarks of complex eukaryotic pathogens, including Plasmodium species, the causative agents of malaria. Efficient elimination of Plasmodium liver stages prior to blood infection is one of the most promising malaria vaccine strategies. Here, we describe different genetically arrested parasites (GAPs) that have been engineered in Plasmodium berghei, P. yoelii and P. falciparum and compare their vaccine potential. A better understanding of the immunological mechanisms of prime and boost by arrested sporozoites and experimental strategies to enhance vaccine efficacy by further engineering existing GAPs into a more immunogenic form hold promise for continuous improvements of GAP-based vaccines. A critical hurdle for vaccines that elicit long-lasting protection against malaria, such as GAPs, is safety and efficacy in vulnerable populations. Vaccine research should focus on solutions toward turning malaria into a vaccine-preventable disease, which would offer an exciting new path of malaria control.

Development of Mask Materials for EUVL

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heckle, Christine; Hrdina, Kenneth E.; Ackerman, Bradford G.; Navan, David W.

2002-12-01

Though the Semiconductor market is soft, the technology that drives it continues to march on. Corning has supplied the semiconductor market through two generations of lithography with KrF and ArF grade HPFS Glass; the established excellence will continue with the supply of CaF2 for 157nm and ULE Glass for 13nm. ULE Glass is a low expansion silicate glass that has historically been used for ground and spaced based telescope mirrors such as Gemini and Hubble. Industry experts have now identified ULE Glass as a material of choice for EUVL applications; but with new opportunities come new hurdles, and ULE Glass will need to be improved in order to meet the challenges of EUVL. The purpose of this presentation is to give the audience a general update of Corning's ULE Glass improvement effort for EUVL, with focus on EUV photomask requirements; it will include an overview of key ULE Glass properties, improvements that have been made, and a road map of work to be done.

Towards Precision Medicine in the Clinic: From Biomarker Discovery to Novel Therapeutics.

PubMed

Collins, Dearbhaile C; Sundar, Raghav; Lim, Joline S J; Yap, Timothy A

2017-01-01

Precision medicine continues to be the benchmark to which we strive in cancer research. Seeking out actionable aberrations that can be selectively targeted by drug compounds promises to optimize treatment efficacy and minimize toxicity. Utilizing these different targeted agents in combination or in sequence may further delay resistance to treatments and prolong antitumor responses. Remarkable progress in the field of immunotherapy adds another layer of complexity to the management of cancer patients. Corresponding advances in companion biomarker development, novel methods of serial tumor assessments, and innovative trial designs act synergistically to further precision medicine. Ongoing hurdles such as clonal evolution, intra- and intertumor heterogeneity, and varied mechanisms of drug resistance continue to be challenges to overcome. Large-scale data-sharing and collaborative networks using next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms promise to take us further into the cancer 'ome' than ever before, with the goal of achieving successful precision medicine. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A double-hurdle model estimation of cocoa farmers' willingness to pay for crop insurance in Ghana.

PubMed

Okoffo, Elvis Dartey; Denkyirah, Elisha Kwaku; Adu, Derick Taylor; Fosu-Mensah, Benedicta Yayra

2016-01-01

Agriculture is an important sector in Ghana's economy, however, with high risk due to natural factors like climate change, pests and diseases and bush fires among others. Farmers in the Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana which is known as one of the major cocoa producing regions, face these risks which sometimes results in crop failure. The need for farmers to therefore insure their farms against crop loss is crucial. Insurance has been a measure to guard against risk. The aim of this study was to assess cocoa farmers' willingness to access crop insurance, the factors affecting willingness to pay (WTP) for crop insurance scheme and insurance companies' willingness to provide crop insurance to cocoa farmers. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to sample 240 farmers from four communities in the Dormaa West District in Brong-Ahafo Region. The double-hurdle model shows that age, marital status and education significantly and positively influenced cocoa farmer's willingness to insure their farms whiles household size and cropped area negatively influenced farmers' willingness to insure their farms. Similarly, age, household size and cropped area significantly and positively influenced the premium cocoa farmers were willing to pay whiles marital status and cocoa income negatively influenced the premium farmers were willing to pay. The contingent valuation method shows that the maximum, minimum and average amounts cocoa farmers are willing to pay for crop insurance per production cost per acre was GH¢128.40, GH¢32.10 and GH¢49.32 respectively. Insurance companies do not have crop insurance policy but willing to provide crop insurance policy to cocoa farmers on a condition that farmers adopt modern cultivation practices to reduce the level of risk. The study recommends that cocoa farmers should be well educated on crop insurance and should be involved in planning the crop insurance scheme in order to conclude on the premium to be paid by them.

Assessment and Selection of Competing Models for Zero-Inflated Microbiome Data

PubMed Central

Xu, Lizhen; Paterson, Andrew D.; Turpin, Williams; Xu, Wei

2015-01-01

Typical data in a microbiome study consist of the operational taxonomic unit (OTU) counts that have the characteristic of excess zeros, which are often ignored by investigators. In this paper, we compare the performance of different competing methods to model data with zero inflated features through extensive simulations and application to a microbiome study. These methods include standard parametric and non-parametric models, hurdle models, and zero inflated models. We examine varying degrees of zero inflation, with or without dispersion in the count component, as well as different magnitude and direction of the covariate effect on structural zeros and the count components. We focus on the assessment of type I error, power to detect the overall covariate effect, measures of model fit, and bias and effectiveness of parameter estimations. We also evaluate the abilities of model selection strategies using Akaike information criterion (AIC) or Vuong test to identify the correct model. The simulation studies show that hurdle and zero inflated models have well controlled type I errors, higher power, better goodness of fit measures, and are more accurate and efficient in the parameter estimation. Besides that, the hurdle models have similar goodness of fit and parameter estimation for the count component as their corresponding zero inflated models. However, the estimation and interpretation of the parameters for the zero components differs, and hurdle models are more stable when structural zeros are absent. We then discuss the model selection strategy for zero inflated data and implement it in a gut microbiome study of > 400 independent subjects. PMID:26148172

Assessment and Selection of Competing Models for Zero-Inflated Microbiome Data.

PubMed

Xu, Lizhen; Paterson, Andrew D; Turpin, Williams; Xu, Wei

2015-01-01

Typical data in a microbiome study consist of the operational taxonomic unit (OTU) counts that have the characteristic of excess zeros, which are often ignored by investigators. In this paper, we compare the performance of different competing methods to model data with zero inflated features through extensive simulations and application to a microbiome study. These methods include standard parametric and non-parametric models, hurdle models, and zero inflated models. We examine varying degrees of zero inflation, with or without dispersion in the count component, as well as different magnitude and direction of the covariate effect on structural zeros and the count components. We focus on the assessment of type I error, power to detect the overall covariate effect, measures of model fit, and bias and effectiveness of parameter estimations. We also evaluate the abilities of model selection strategies using Akaike information criterion (AIC) or Vuong test to identify the correct model. The simulation studies show that hurdle and zero inflated models have well controlled type I errors, higher power, better goodness of fit measures, and are more accurate and efficient in the parameter estimation. Besides that, the hurdle models have similar goodness of fit and parameter estimation for the count component as their corresponding zero inflated models. However, the estimation and interpretation of the parameters for the zero components differs, and hurdle models are more stable when structural zeros are absent. We then discuss the model selection strategy for zero inflated data and implement it in a gut microbiome study of > 400 independent subjects.

Some considerations for excess zeroes in substance abuse research.

PubMed

Bandyopadhyay, Dipankar; DeSantis, Stacia M; Korte, Jeffrey E; Brady, Kathleen T

2011-09-01

Count data collected in substance abuse research often come with an excess of "zeroes," which are typically handled using zero-inflated regression models. However, there is a need to consider the design aspects of those studies before using such a statistical model to ascertain the sources of zeroes. We sought to illustrate hurdle models as alternatives to zero-inflated models to validate a two-stage decision-making process in situations of "excess zeroes." We use data from a study of 45 cocaine-dependent subjects where the primary scientific question was to evaluate whether study participation influences drug-seeking behavior. The outcome, "the frequency (count) of cocaine use days per week," is bounded (ranging from 0 to 7). We fit and compare binomial, Poisson, negative binomial, and the hurdle version of these models to study the effect of gender, age, time, and study participation on cocaine use. The hurdle binomial model provides the best fit. Gender and time are not predictive of use. Higher odds of use versus no use are associated with age; however once use is experienced, odds of further use decrease with increase in age. Participation was associated with higher odds of no-cocaine use; once there is use, participation reduced the odds of further use. Age and study participation are significantly predictive of cocaine-use behavior. The two-stage decision process as modeled by a hurdle binomial model (appropriate for bounded count data with excess zeroes) provides interesting insights into the study of covariate effects on count responses of substance use, when all enrolled subjects are believed to be "at-risk" of use.

Effects of sonication and ultraviolet-C treatment as a hurdle concept on quality attributes of Chokanan mango (Mangifera indica L.) juice.

PubMed

Santhirasegaram, Vicknesha; Razali, Zuliana; Somasundram, Chandran

2015-04-01

The growing demand for fresh-like food products has encouraged the development of hurdle technology of non-thermal processing. In this study, freshly squeezed Chokanan mango juice was treated by paired combinations of sonication (for 15 and 30 min at 25 ℃, 40 kHz frequency) and UV-C treatment (for 15 and 30 min at 25 ℃). Selected physicochemical properties, antioxidant activities, microbial inactivation and other quality parameters of combined treated juice were compared to conventional thermal treatment (at 90 ℃ for 60 s). After thermal and combined treatment, no significant changes occurred in physicochemical properties. A significant increase in extractability of carotenoids (15%), polyphenols (37%), flavonoids (35%) and enhancement in antioxidant capacity was observed after combined treatment. Thermal and combined treatment exhibited significant reduction in microbial load. Results obtained support the use of sonication and UV-C in a hurdle technology to improve the quality of Chokanan mango juice along with safety standards. © The Author(s) 2014 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav.

Effect of modified atmospheric packaging on the shelf stability of paneer prepared by adopting hurdle technology.

PubMed

Thippeswamy, L; Venkateshaiah, B V; Patil, Sharanagouda B

2011-04-01

Paneer was prepared by application of hurdle technology (HT) and its shelf stability studied by modified atmospheric packaging (MAP). The hurdles adopted comprised of water activity (aw), pH, preservative and MAP. The aw was reduced by using NaCl (1-3%), citric acid (CA, 0.01-0.1%) and potassium sorbate (0.1%). NaCl and CA at 3 and 0.1% reduced aw from 0.994 to 0.970 and pH from 5.6 to 5.1, respectively. Sensory scores of all samples decreased (p ≤ 0.05) from control during storage at different temperatures, but these scores at the end of 20 days were still under acceptable limit of 6 and above (liked moderately). MAP was carried out by using a mixture of CO2 to N2 in the ratio of 50:50. The HT adopted paneer with MAP had extended the shelf-life from 1 to 12 days at room temperature (30 ± 1°C) and 6 to 20 days at refrigeration (7 ± 1°C) temperatures.

Acoustic transducer with damping means

DOEpatents

Smith, Richard W.; Adamson, Gerald E.

1976-11-02

An ultrasonic transducer specifically suited to high temperature sodium applications is described. A piezoelectric active element is joined to the transducer faceplate by coating the faceplate and juxtaposed active element face with wetting agents specifically compatible with the bonding procedure employed to achieve the joint. The opposite face of the active element is fitted with a backing member designed to assure continued electrical continuity during adverse operating conditions which can result in the fracturing of the active element. The fit is achieved employing a spring-loaded electrode operably arranged to electrically couple the internal transducer components, enclosed in a hermetically sealed housing, to accessory components normally employed in transducer applications. Two alternative backing members are taught for assuring electrical continuity. The first employs a resilient, discrete multipoint contact electrode in electrical communication with the active element face. The second employs a resilient, elastomeric, electrically conductive, damped member in electrical communication with the active element face in a manner to effect ring-down of the transducer. Each embodiment provides continued electrical continuity within the transducer in the event the active element fractures, while the second provides the added benefit of damping.

33 CFR 150.609 - When is eye and face protection required?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false When is eye and face protection... SECURITY (CONTINUED) DEEPWATER PORTS DEEPWATER PORTS: OPERATIONS Workplace Safety and Health Eyes and Face § 150.609 When is eye and face protection required? The operator must provide eye and face protectors...

33 CFR 150.609 - When is eye and face protection required?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false When is eye and face protection... SECURITY (CONTINUED) DEEPWATER PORTS DEEPWATER PORTS: OPERATIONS Workplace Safety and Health Eyes and Face § 150.609 When is eye and face protection required? The operator must provide eye and face protectors...

33 CFR 150.609 - When is eye and face protection required?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false When is eye and face protection... SECURITY (CONTINUED) DEEPWATER PORTS DEEPWATER PORTS: OPERATIONS Workplace Safety and Health Eyes and Face § 150.609 When is eye and face protection required? The operator must provide eye and face protectors...

33 CFR 150.609 - When is eye and face protection required?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false When is eye and face protection... SECURITY (CONTINUED) DEEPWATER PORTS DEEPWATER PORTS: OPERATIONS Workplace Safety and Health Eyes and Face § 150.609 When is eye and face protection required? The operator must provide eye and face protectors...

33 CFR 150.609 - When is eye and face protection required?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false When is eye and face protection... SECURITY (CONTINUED) DEEPWATER PORTS DEEPWATER PORTS: OPERATIONS Workplace Safety and Health Eyes and Face § 150.609 When is eye and face protection required? The operator must provide eye and face protectors...

Face familiarity promotes stable identity recognition: exploring face perception using serial dependence

PubMed Central

Kok, Rebecca; Van der Burg, Erik; Rhodes, Gillian; Alais, David

2017-01-01

Studies suggest that familiar faces are processed in a manner distinct from unfamiliar faces and that familiarity with a face confers an advantage in identity recognition. Our visual system seems to capitalize on experience to build stable face representations that are impervious to variation in retinal input that may occur due to changes in lighting, viewpoint, viewing distance, eye movements, etc. Emerging evidence also suggests that our visual system maintains a continuous perception of a face's identity from one moment to the next despite the retinal input variations through serial dependence. This study investigates whether interactions occur between face familiarity and serial dependence. In two experiments, participants used a continuous scale to rate attractiveness of unfamiliar and familiar faces (either experimentally learned or famous) presented in rapid sequences. Both experiments revealed robust inter-trial effects in which attractiveness ratings for a given face depended on the preceding face's attractiveness. This inter-trial attractiveness effect was most pronounced for unfamiliar faces. Indeed, when participants were familiar with a given face, attractiveness ratings showed significantly less serial dependence. These results represent the first evidence that familiar faces can resist the temporal integration seen in sequential dependencies and highlight the importance of familiarity to visual cognition. PMID:28405355

Advanced diffraction-based overlay for double patterning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jie; Liu, Yongdong; Dasari, Prasad; Hu, Jiangtao; Smith, Nigel; Kritsun, Oleg; Volkman, Catherine

2010-03-01

Diffraction based overlay (DBO) technologies have been developed to address the tighter overlay control challenges as the dimensions of integrated circuit continue to shrink. Several studies published recently have demonstrated that the performance of DBO technologies has the potential to meet the overlay metrology budget for 22nm technology node. However, several hurdles must be cleared before DBO can be used in production. One of the major hurdles is that most DBO technologies require specially designed targets that consist of multiple measurement pads, which consume too much space and increase measurement time. A more advanced spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) technology-Mueller Matrix SE (MM-SE) is developed to address the challenge. We use a double patterning sample to demonstrate the potential of MM-SE as a DBO candidate. Sample matrix (the matrix that describes the effects of the sample on the incident optical beam) obtained from MM-SE contains up to 16 elements. We show that the Mueller elements from the off-diagonal 2x2 blocks respond to overlay linearly and are zero when overlay errors are absent. This superior property enables empirical DBO (eDBO) using two pads per direction. Furthermore, the rich information in Mueller matrix and its direct response to overlay make it feasible to extract overlay errors from only one pad per direction using modeling approach (mDBO). We here present the Mueller overlay results using both eDBO and mDBO and compare the results with image-based overlay (IBO) and CD-SEM results. We also report the tool induced shifts (TIS) and dynamic repeatability.

49 CFR 236.774 - Movement, facing.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Movement, facing. 236.774 Section 236.774 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Movement, facing. The movement of a train over the points of a switch which face in a direction opposite to...

49 CFR 236.818 - Switch, facing point.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Switch, facing point. 236.818 Section 236.818 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Switch, facing point. A switch, the points of which face traffic approaching in the direction for which...

49 CFR 236.818 - Switch, facing point.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Switch, facing point. 236.818 Section 236.818 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Switch, facing point. A switch, the points of which face traffic approaching in the direction for which...

49 CFR 236.818 - Switch, facing point.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Switch, facing point. 236.818 Section 236.818 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Switch, facing point. A switch, the points of which face traffic approaching in the direction for which...

49 CFR 236.818 - Switch, facing point.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Switch, facing point. 236.818 Section 236.818 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Switch, facing point. A switch, the points of which face traffic approaching in the direction for which...

49 CFR 236.818 - Switch, facing point.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Switch, facing point. 236.818 Section 236.818 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Switch, facing point. A switch, the points of which face traffic approaching in the direction for which...

Spotlight on depression: a Pharma Matters report.

PubMed

D'Souza, P; Jago, C

2014-03-01

Depression represents a huge pharmaceutical market opportunity. There are approximately 350 million people worldwide with depression, and it is the leading cause of disability in the world. In the U.S., 9.1% of the population suffers from depression. Globally, fewer than half of depression sufferers receive treatment for their illness, and in some countries this figure falls to fewer than 1 in 10. The high incidence rate, combined with limited market penetration, makes depression a high potential market for pharmaceuticals. However, companies developing drugs for depression also face a number of serious challenges. Psychosocial treatment options remain the preferred first-line therapy ahead of medication-and when it comes to drug treatment, the abundance of generic options available has significantly contributed to halving the value of the branded antidepressant market over recent years. Another hurdle faced by new drugs is the requirement that all antidepressants carry a black-box warning regarding the increased risk of suicide in children, adolescents and young adults, which limits their use in this population. Switching between medications presents both an opportunity and a challenge, as a significant number of patients will switch away from their first medication within the first year of treatment. The lack of complete understanding of why depression occurs also makes this area a difficult one, although it opens the door for the development of drugs with novel mechanisms of action. Copyright 2014 Prous Science, S.A.U. or its licensors. All rights reserved.

The Process of Translation and Linguistic Validation of the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain Quality of Life Instrument from English to Malayalam: The Challenges Faced.

PubMed

Menon, Durgapoorna; Venkateswaran, Chitra

2017-01-01

Both brain tumors and their treatments have a major negative impact on the quality of life (QoL). EORTC BN20 and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Brain (FACT-BR) are the most commonly used tools to assess QoL. The FACT-BR is a 23-item questionnaire, especially about the psychosocial aspects of QoL. This paper describes the challenges we faced during the process of translation and validation of the FACT-BR into Malayalam. We first screened the patients to ensure their mental status was satisfactory and that they could communicate well in both languages. According to the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy methodology, there were two forward translations from English to Malayalam by two independent translators, a reconciliation of the two forward translations, a back-translation into English, a review/finalization by a fifth translator, proofreading, and then testing on a small cohort of patients. The whole process of translation was fraught with small and large hurdles - from small technical issues to the gaps in sociocultural norms. The sub item BR 7, due to the lack of an exact equivalent word, had issues that persisted up to the validation phase. The postquestionnaire debriefing interviews confirmed that the translations were well understood and conceptually equivalent to the original English one. Translation of the FACT-BR into Malayalam nearly completely reproduced the concepts of the original English questionnaire, as proved in the subsequent validation process.

The effects of altered distances between obstacles on the jump kinematics and apparent joint angulations of large agility dogs.

PubMed

Birch, E; Boyd, J; Doyle, G; Pullen, A

2015-05-01

Canine agility is a rapidly growing sport in the UK. However, there is a paucity of scientific research examining jump kinematics and associated health and welfare implications of the discipline. The aim of this research was to examine differences in jump kinematics and apparent joint angulation of large (>431 mm at the withers) agility dogs (n = 54), when the distance between hurdles was altered (3.6 m, 4 m and 5 m apart) and to determine how level of skill impacted upon jump kinematics. Significant differences were observed for both the take-off (P <0.001) and landing distances (P <0.001) between the 3.6 m, 4 m and 5 m distances. Further differences were observed when level of skill was controlled for; take-off (F[3,55] = 5.686, P = 0.002) and landing (F[3,55] = 7.552, P <0.001) distances differed at the 3.6 m distance, as did the take-off distance at the 4 m hurdle distance (F[3,50] = 6.168, P = 0.001). Take-off and landing speeds differed for hurdle distances (P <0.001) and level of skill (P <0.001). There were significant differences in apparent neck angle during take-off and landing (P <0.001), lumbar spine angles during take-off, bascule and landing (P <0.01), and in shoulder angles during the bascule phase (P <0.05). The results indicate that agility dogs alter their jumping patterns to accommodate the spacing between hurdles, which ultimately may impact long term health and welfare due to altered kinematics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interventional MRI-guided catheter placement and real time drug delivery to the central nervous system.

PubMed

Han, Seunggu J; Bankiewicz, Krystof; Butowski, Nicholas A; Larson, Paul S; Aghi, Manish K

2016-06-01

Local delivery of therapeutic agents into the brain has many advantages; however, the inability to predict, visualize and confirm the infusion into the intended target has been a major hurdle in its clinical development. Here, we describe the current workflow and application of the interventional MRI (iMRI) system for catheter placement and real time visualization of infusion. We have applied real time convection-enhanced delivery (CED) of therapeutic agents with iMRI across a number of different clinical trials settings in neuro-oncology and movement disorders. Ongoing developments and accumulating experience with the technique and technology of drug formulations, CED platforms, and iMRI systems will continue to make local therapeutic delivery into the brain more accurate, efficient, effective and safer.

Non-hormonal male contraception: A review and development of an Eppin based contraceptive.

PubMed

O'Rand, Michael G; Silva, Erick J R; Hamil, Katherine G

2016-01-01

Developing a non-hormonal male contraceptive requires identifying and characterizing an appropriate target and demonstrating its essential role in reproduction. Here we review the development of male contraceptive targets and the current therapeutic agents under consideration. In addition, the development of EPPIN as a target for contraception is reviewed. EPPIN is a well characterized surface protein on human spermatozoa that has an essential function in primate reproduction. EPPIN is discussed as an example of target development, testing in non-human primates, and the search for small organic compounds that mimic contraceptive antibodies; binding EPPIN and blocking sperm motility. Although many hurdles remain before the success of a non-hormonal male contraceptive, continued persistence should yield a marketable product. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Turning brownfields into greenspaces: examining incentives and barriers to revitalization.

PubMed

Siikamäki, Juha; Wernstedt, Kris

2008-06-01

This study employs interviews, document review, and a national survey of local government officials to investigate the factors that influence the success of efforts to convert underutilized contaminated properties into greenspace. We find that the presence of contamination continues to be a concern despite federal and state efforts to ease liability fears but also that site and project features can overcome this hurdle. In particular, jurisdictions appear more likely to convert distressed properties into greenspace if recreational parks, rather than open space, are planned, sites are already owned rather than available only through tax foreclosure, and the state is perceived as being supportive of the conversion. In addition, mixed public-private funding and site locations in residential areas are more likely to attract community support for conversion projects.

Influence of continuous mining arrangements on respirable dust exposures

PubMed Central

Beck, T. W.; Organiscak, J. A.; Pollock, D. E.; Potts, J. D.; Reed, W. R.

2017-01-01

In underground continuous mining operations, ventilation, water sprays and machine-mounted flooded-bed scrubbers are the primary means of controlling respirable dust exposures at the working face. Changes in mining arrangements — such as face ventilation configuration, orientation of crosscuts mined in relation to the section ventilation and equipment operator positioning — can have impacts on the ability of dust controls to reduce occupational respirable dust exposures. This study reports and analyzes dust concentrations measured by the Pittsburgh Mining Research Division for remote-controlled continuous mining machine operators as well as haulage operators at 10 U.S. underground mines. The results of these respirable dust surveys show that continuous miner exposures varied little with depth of cut but are significantly higher with exhaust ventilation. Haulage operators experienced elevated concentrations with blowing face ventilation. Elevated dust concentrations were observed for both continuous miner operators and haulage operators when working in crosscuts driven into or counter to the section airflow. Individual cuts are highlighted to demonstrate instances of minimal and excessive dust exposures attributable to particular mining configurations. These findings form the basis for recommendations for lowering face worker respirable dust exposures. PMID:28529441

49 CFR 236.337 - Locking faces of mechanical locking; fit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Locking faces of mechanical locking; fit. 236.337 Section 236.337 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD... Rules and Instructions § 236.337 Locking faces of mechanical locking; fit. Locking faces shall fit...

Towards new business models for R&D for novel antibiotics.

PubMed

So, A D; Gupta, N; Brahmachari, S K; Chopra, I; Munos, B; Nathan, C; Outterson, K; Paccaud, J P; Payne, D J; Peeling, R W; Spigelman, M; Weigelt, J

2011-04-01

In the face of a growing global burden of resistance to existing antibiotics, a combination of scientific and economic challenges has posed significant barriers to the development of novel antibacterials over the past few decades. Yet the bottlenecks at each stage of the pharmaceutical value chain-from discovery to post-marketing-present opportunities to reengineer an innovation pipeline that has fallen short. The upstream hurdles to lead identification and optimization may be eased with greater multi-sectoral collaboration, a growing array of alternatives to high-throughput screening, and the application of open source approaches. Product development partnerships and South-South innovation platforms have shown promise in bolstering the R&D efforts to tackle neglected diseases. Strategies that delink product sales from the firms' return on investment can help ensure that the twin goals of innovation and access are met. To effect these changes, both public and private sector stakeholders must show greater commitment to an R&D agenda that will address this problem, not only for industrialized countries but also globally. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functional Nanostructures for Effective Delivery of Small Interfering RNA Therapeutics

PubMed Central

Hong, Cheol Am; Nam, Yoon Sung

2014-01-01

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) has proved to be a powerful tool for target-specific gene silencing via RNA interference (RNAi). Its ability to control targeted gene expression gives new hope to gene therapy as a treatment for cancers and genetic diseases. However, siRNA shows poor pharmacological properties, such as low serum stability, off-targeting, and innate immune responses, which present a significant challenge for clinical applications. In addition, siRNA cannot cross the cell membrane for RNAi activity because of its anionic property and stiff structure. Therefore, the development of a safe, stable, and efficient system for the delivery of siRNA therapeutics into the cytoplasm of targeted cells is crucial. Several nanoparticle platforms for siRNA delivery have been developed to overcome the major hurdles facing the therapeutic uses of siRNA. This review covers a broad spectrum of non-viral siRNA delivery systems developed for enhanced cellular uptake and targeted gene silencing in vitro and in vivo and discusses their characteristics and opportunities for clinical applications of therapeutic siRNA. PMID:25285170

An ocean kinetic energy converter for low-power applications using piezoelectric disk elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viñolo, C.; Toma, D.; Mànuel, A.; del Rio, J.

2013-09-01

The main problem facing long-term electronic system deployments in the sea, is to find a feasible way to supply them with the power they require. Harvesting mechanical energy from the ocean wave oscillations and converting it into electrical energy, provides an alternative method for creating self-contained power sources. However, the very low and varying frequency of ocean waves, which generally varies from 0.1 Hz to 2 Hz, presents a hurdle which has to be overcome if this mechanical energy is to be harvested. In this paper, a new sea wave kinetic energy converter is described using low-cost disk piezoelectric elements, which has no dependence on their excitement frequency, to feed low-consumption maritime-deployed electronic devices. The operating principles of the piezoelectric device technique are presented, including analytical formulations describing the transfer of energy. Finally, a prototypical design, which generates electrical energy from the motion of a buoy, is introduced. The paper concludes with the the behavior study of the piezoelectric prototype device as a power generator.

Effects of hurdle technology on Monascus ruber growth in green table olives: a response surface methodology approach.

PubMed

Cappato, Leandro P; Martins, Amanda M Dias; Ferreira, Elisa H R; Rosenthal, Amauri

An ascomycetes fungus was isolated from brine storage of green olives of the Arauco cultivar imported from Argentina and identified as Monascus ruber. The combined effects of different concentrations of sodium chloride (3.5-5.5%), sodium benzoate (0-0.1%), potassium sorbate (0-0.05%) and temperature (30-40°C) were investigated on the growth of M. ruber in the brine of stored table olives using a response surface methodology. A full 2 4 factorial design with three central points was first used in order to screen for the important factors (significant and marginally significant factors) and then a Face-Centered Central Composite Design was applied. Both preservatives prevented fungal spoilage, but potassium sorbate was the most efficient to control the fungi growth. The combined use of these preservatives did not show a synergistic effect. The results showed that the use of these salts may not be sufficient to prevent fungal spoilage and the greatest fungal growth was recorded at 30°C. Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Microbiologia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Naming and Shaming for Conservation: Evidence from the Brazilian Amazon

PubMed Central

Cisneros, Elías; Zhou, Sophie Lian; Börner, Jan

2015-01-01

Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has dropped substantially after a peak of over 27 thousand square kilometers in 2004. Starting in 2008, the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment has regularly published blacklists of critical districts with high annual forest loss. Farms in blacklisted districts face additional administrative hurdles to obtain authorization for clearing forests. In this paper we add to the existing literature on evaluating the Brazilian anti-deforestation policies by specifically quantifying the impact of blacklisting on deforestation. We first use spatial matching techniques using a set of covariates that includes official blacklisting criteria to identify control districts. We then explore the effect of blacklisting on change in deforestation in double difference regressions with panel data covering the period from 2002 to 2012. Multiple robustness checks are conducted including an analysis of potential causal mechanisms behind the success of the blacklist. We find that the blacklist has considerably reduced deforestation in the affected districts even after controlling for the potential mechanism effects of field-based enforcement, environmental registration campaigns, and rural credit. PMID:26398096

Case Report Demonstrating the Safe and Effective Means of Expanding the Donor Pool With Livers Recovered From Brain-Dead Donors After Ethylene Glycol Toxicity.

PubMed

Fujii, M H; Gierlach, J; Alami, S; Ericksen, C; Kashyap, R; Orloff, M S; Marroquin, C E

2016-11-01

The growing disparity between organ supply and demand has become the greatest hurdle facing transplant professionals and life-saving transplants. Because the organ shortage has become the rate-limiting step to effective transplants, it is critical for the transplant community to identify viable mechanisms to expand the donor pool and use every available allograft. Although using kidneys from deceased donors whose demise was secondary to ethylene glycol (EG) toxicity requires great deliberation and precise timing as described by Barbas et al [5], using hepatic allografts in this setting involves far less risk. The following is a discussion of a 61-year-old male who was diagnosed with end-stage liver disease secondary to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and ultimately underwent a life-saving transplant with a liver recovered from a donor with EG-induced brain death and allocated nationally due to trepidation by local and regional centers to use the liver from a donor after EG toxicity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Proteomic identification and purification of seed proteins from native Amazonian species displaying antifungal activity.

PubMed

Ramos, Márcio V; Brito, Daniel; Freitas, Cléverson D T; Gonçalves, José Francisco C; Porfirio, Camila T M N; Lobo, Marina D P; Monteiro-Moreira, Ana Cristina O; Souza, Luiz A C; Fernandes, Andreia V

2018-04-19

Seeds of native species from the rain forest (Amazon) are source of chitinases and their protein extracts exhibited strong and broad antifungal activity. Numerous plant species native to the Amazon have not yet been chemically studied. Studies of seeds are scarcer, since adversities in accessing study areas and seasonality pose constant hurdles to systematic research. In this study, proteins were extracted from seeds belonging to endemic Amazon species and were investigated for the first time. Proteolytic activity, peptidase inhibitors, and chitinases were identified, but chitinolytic activity predominated. Four proteins were purified through chromatography and identified as lectin and chitinases by MS/MS analyses. The proteins were examined for inhibition of a phytopathogen (Fusarium oxysporum). Analyses by fluorescence microscopy suggested binding of propidium iodide to DNA of fungal spores, revealing that spore integrity was lost when accessed by the proteins. Further structural and functional analyses of defensive proteins belonging to species facing highly complex ecosystems such as Amazonia should be conducted, since these could provide new insights into specificity and synergism involving defense proteins of plants submitted to a very complex ecosystem.

Plasmodium vivax Biology: Insights Provided by Genomics, Transcriptomics and Proteomics

PubMed Central

Bourgard, Catarina; Albrecht, Letusa; Kayano, Ana C. A. V.; Sunnerhagen, Per; Costa, Fabio T. M.

2018-01-01

During the last decade, the vast omics field has revolutionized biological research, especially the genomics, transcriptomics and proteomics branches, as technological tools become available to the field researcher and allow difficult question-driven studies to be addressed. Parasitology has greatly benefited from next generation sequencing (NGS) projects, which have resulted in a broadened comprehension of basic parasite molecular biology, ecology and epidemiology. Malariology is one example where application of this technology has greatly contributed to a better understanding of Plasmodium spp. biology and host-parasite interactions. Among the several parasite species that cause human malaria, the neglected Plasmodium vivax presents great research challenges, as in vitro culturing is not yet feasible and functional assays are heavily limited. Therefore, there are gaps in our P. vivax biology knowledge that affect decisions for control policies aiming to eradicate vivax malaria in the near future. In this review, we provide a snapshot of key discoveries already achieved in P. vivax sequencing projects, focusing on developments, hurdles, and limitations currently faced by the research community, as well as perspectives on future vivax malaria research. PMID:29473024

Losartan ameliorates dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa and uncovers new disease mechanisms

PubMed Central

Nyström, Alexander; Thriene, Kerstin; Mittapalli, Venugopal; Kern, Johannes S; Kiritsi, Dimitra; Dengjel, Jörn; Bruckner-Tuderman, Leena

2015-01-01

Genetic loss of collagen VII causes recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB)—a severe skin fragility disorder associated with lifelong blistering and disabling progressive soft tissue fibrosis. Causative therapies for this complex disorder face major hurdles, and clinical implementation remains elusive. Here, we report an alternative evidence-based approach to ameliorate fibrosis and relieve symptoms in RDEB. Based on the findings that TGF-β activity is elevated in injured RDEB skin, we targeted TGF-β activity with losartan in a preclinical setting. Long-term treatment of RDEB mice efficiently reduced TGF-β signaling in chronically injured forepaws and halted fibrosis and subsequent fusion of the digits. In addition, proteomics analysis of losartan- vs. vehicle-treated RDEB skin uncovered changes in multiple proteins related to tissue inflammation. In line with this, losartan reduced inflammation and diminished TNF-α and IL-6 expression in injured forepaws. Collectively, the data argue that RDEB fibrosis is a consequence of a cascade encompassing tissue damage, TGF-β-mediated inflammation, and matrix remodeling. Inhibition of TGF-β activity limits these unwanted outcomes and thereby substantially ameliorates long-term symptoms. PMID:26194911

Towards in vivo amplification: Overcoming hurdles in the use of hematopoietic stem cells in transplantation and gene therapy

PubMed Central

Nagree, Murtaza S; López-Vásquez, Lucía; Medin, Jeffrey A

2015-01-01

With the advent of safer and more efficient gene transfer methods, gene therapy has become a viable solution for many inherited and acquired disorders. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are a prime cell compartment for gene therapy aimed at correcting blood-based disorders, as well as those amenable to metabolic outcomes that can effect cross-correction. While some resounding clinical successes have recently been demonstrated, ample room remains to increase the therapeutic output from HSC-directed gene therapy. In vivo amplification of therapeutic cells is one avenue to achieve enhanced gene product delivery. To date, attempts have been made to provide HSCs with resistance to cytotoxic drugs, to include drug-inducible growth modules specific to HSCs, and to increase the engraftment potential of transduced HSCs. This review aims to summarize amplification strategies that have been developed and tested and to discuss their advantages along with barriers faced towards their clinical adaptation. In addition, next-generation strategies to circumvent current limitations of specific amplification schemas are discussed. PMID:26730268

Sense of rhythm does not differentiate professional hurdlers from non-athletes.

PubMed

Skowronek, Tomasz; Słomka, Kajetan; Juras, Grzegorz; Szade, Bartlomiej

2013-08-01

The importance of rhythm and specific endurance capabilities were examined in the technical skill and performance of hurdle runners. Additionally, interaction effects among rhythm, anaerobic fitness, and body constitution were analyzed. Seven 18-year-old members of the Polish Junior National Team in 110 m hurdles and 8 age-matched controls who were non-athletes participated. Movement coordination tests (rhythm and differentiation tests) and an anaerobic fitness test were performed. There were no statistically significant differences between the athletes and the control group on the coordination or rhythm test variables. No support was found for the hypothesis that a hurdler's timing ability influences performance.

Treatment of solid tumors with chimeric antigen receptor-engineered T cells: current status and future prospects.

PubMed

Di, Shengmeng; Li, Zonghai

2016-04-01

Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) are artificial recombinant receptors that generally combine the antigen-recognition domain of a monoclonal antibody with T cell activation domains. Recent years have seen great success in clinical trials employing CD19-specific CAR-T cell therapy for B cell leukemia. Nevertheless, solid tumors remain a major challenge for CAR-T cell therapy. This review summarizes the preclinical and clinical studies on the treatment of solid tumors with CAR-T cells. The major hurdles for the success of CAR-T and the novel strategies to address these hurdles have also been described and discussed.

Access to Awareness for Faces during Continuous Flash Suppression Is Not Modulated by Affective Knowledge

PubMed Central

Rabovsky, Milena; Stein, Timo; Abdel Rahman, Rasha

2016-01-01

It is a controversially debated topic whether stimuli can be analyzed up to the semantic level when they are suppressed from visual awareness during continuous flash suppression (CFS). Here, we investigated whether affective knowledge, i.e., affective biographical information about faces, influences the time it takes for initially invisible faces with neutral expressions to overcome suppression and break into consciousness. To test this, we used negative, positive, and neutral famous faces as well as initially unfamiliar faces, which were associated with negative, positive or neutral biographical information. Affective knowledge influenced ratings of facial expressions, corroborating recent evidence and indicating the success of our affective learning paradigm. Furthermore, we replicated shorter suppression durations for upright than for inverted faces, demonstrating the suitability of our CFS paradigm. However, affective biographical information did not modulate suppression durations for newly learned faces, and even though suppression durations for famous faces were influenced by affective knowledge, these effects did not differ between upright and inverted faces, indicating that they might have been due to low-level visual differences. Thus, we did not obtain unequivocal evidence for genuine influences of affective biographical information on access to visual awareness for faces during CFS. PMID:27119743

Marketing netcoatings for aquaculture.

PubMed

Martin, Robert J

2014-10-17

Unsustainable harvesting of natural fish stocks is driving an ever growing marine aquaculture industry. Part of the aquaculture support industry is net suppliers who provide producers with nets used in confining fish while they are grown to market size. Biofouling must be addressed in marine environments to ensure maximum product growth by maintaining water flow and waste removal through the nets. Biofouling is managed with copper and organic biocide based net coatings. The aquaculture industry provides a case study for business issues related to entry of improved fouling management technology into the marketplace. Several major hurdles hinder entry of improved novel technologies into the market. The first hurdle is due to the structure of business relationships. Net suppliers can actually cut their business profits dramatically by introducing improved technologies. A second major hurdle is financial costs of registration and demonstration of efficacy and quality product with a new technology. Costs of registration are prohibitive if only the net coatings market is involved. Demonstration of quality product requires collaboration and a team approach between formulators, net suppliers and farmers. An alternative solution is a vertically integrated business model in which the support business and product production business are part of the same company.

Marketing Netcoatings for Aquaculture

PubMed Central

Martin, Robert J.

2014-01-01

Unsustainable harvesting of natural fish stocks is driving an ever growing marine aquaculture industry. Part of the aquaculture support industry is net suppliers who provide producers with nets used in confining fish while they are grown to market size. Biofouling must be addressed in marine environments to ensure maximum product growth by maintaining water flow and waste removal through the nets. Biofouling is managed with copper and organic biocide based net coatings. The aquaculture industry provides a case study for business issues related to entry of improved fouling management technology into the marketplace. Several major hurdles hinder entry of improved novel technologies into the market. The first hurdle is due to the structure of business relationships. Net suppliers can actually cut their business profits dramatically by introducing improved technologies. A second major hurdle is financial costs of registration and demonstration of efficacy and quality product with a new technology. Costs of registration are prohibitive if only the net coatings market is involved. Demonstration of quality product requires collaboration and a team approach between formulators, net suppliers and farmers. An alternative solution is a vertically integrated business model in which the support business and product production business are part of the same company. PMID:25329615

The integration of blended learning into an occupational therapy curriculum: a qualitative reflection.

PubMed

Barnard-Ashton, Paula; Rothberg, Alan; McInerney, Patricia

2017-08-17

This paper presents a critical reflection of the integration of Blended Learning (BL) into an undergraduate occupational therapy curriculum which was delivered through Problem Based Learning (PBL). This is a qualitative reflection of a Participatory Action Research (PAR) study using Brookfield's model for critical reflection of an educator's practice. The model uses four 'lenses' through which to focus enquiry: Lens 1) our autobiography as a learner of practice; Lens 2) our learners' eyes; Lens 3) our colleagues' experiences; and Lens 4) the theoretical literature. Grounded theory analysis was applied to the data. The factors that contributed to successful integration of technology and e-Learning into an existing curriculum, the hurdles that were navigated along the way, and how these influenced decisions and innovation are explored. The core categories identified in the data were "drivers of change" and "outcomes of BL integration". Key situations and pivotal events are highlighted for their role in the process that led to the project maturing. Each lens reflects the successes and hurdles experienced during the study. Brookfield's model provides an objective method of reflection which showed that despite the hurdles, e-Learning was successfully integrated into the curriculum.

An innovative survey design to understand sustainable travel behaviors : potential of a rolling sample survey to replace traditional household travel surveys.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

We propose an innovative survey with rolling samples to address a major fiscal challenge faced by many MPOs. Faced with a small, but : continuous budget, MPOs are increasingly unable to continue the current survey practice: conducting a large survey ...

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY 2018 POSITION STATEMENT ON INTEGRATION OF INSULIN PUMPS AND CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORING IN PATIENTS WITH DIABETES MELLITUS.

PubMed

Grunberger, George; Handelsman, Yehuda; Bloomgarden, Zachary T; Fonseca, Vivian A; Garber, Alan J; Haas, Richard A; Roberts, Victor L; Umpierrez, Guillermo E

2018-03-01

This document represents the official position of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology. Where there are no randomized controlled trials or specific U.S. FDA labeling for issues in clinical practice, the participating clinical experts utilized their judgment and experience. Every effort was made to achieve consensus among the committee members. Position statements are meant to provide guidance, but they are not to be considered prescriptive for any individual patient and cannot replace the judgment of a clinician. AACE/ACE Task Force on Integration of Insulin Pumps and Continuous Glucose Monitoring in the Management of Patients With Diabetes Mellitus Chair George Grunberger, MD, FACP, FACE Task Force Members Yehuda Handelsman, MD, FACP, FNLA, MACE Zachary T. Bloomgarden, MD, MACE Vivian A. Fonseca, MD, FACE Alan J. Garber, MD, PhD, FACE Richard A. Haas, MD, FACE Victor L. Roberts, MD, MBA, FACP, FACE Guillermo E. Umpierrez, MD, CDE, FACP, FACE Abbreviations: AACE = American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists ACE = American College of Endocrinology A1C = glycated hemoglobin BGM = blood glucose monitoring CGM = continuous glucose monitoring CSII = continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion DM = diabetes mellitus FDA = Food & Drug Administration MDI = multiple daily injections T1DM = type 1 diabetes mellitus T2DM = type 2 diabetes mellitus SAP = sensor-augmented pump SMBG = self-monitoring of blood glucose STAR 3 = Sensor-Augmented Pump Therapy for A1C Reduction phase 3 trial.

29 CFR 1918.101 - Eye and face protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Eye and face protection. 1918.101 Section 1918.101 Labor... (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS FOR LONGSHORING Personal Protective Equipment § 1918.101 Eye and... uses appropriate eye and/or face protection when the employee is exposed to an eye or face hazard, and...

29 CFR 1917.91 - Eye and face protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Eye and face protection. 1917.91 Section 1917.91 Labor... (CONTINUED) MARINE TERMINALS Personal Protection § 1917.91 Eye and face protection. (a)(1)(i) The employer shall ensure that each affected employee uses protective eye and face protection devices that comply...

29 CFR 1917.91 - Eye and face protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Eye and face protection. 1917.91 Section 1917.91 Labor... (CONTINUED) MARINE TERMINALS Personal Protection § 1917.91 Eye and face protection. (a)(1)(i) The employer shall ensure that each affected employee uses protective eye and face protection devices that comply...

29 CFR 1918.101 - Eye and face protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 29 Labor 7 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Eye and face protection. 1918.101 Section 1918.101 Labor... (CONTINUED) SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS FOR LONGSHORING Personal Protective Equipment § 1918.101 Eye and... uses appropriate eye and/or face protection when the employee is exposed to an eye or face hazard, and...

Why Some Students Continue to Value Individual, Face-to- Face Research Consultations in a Technology-Rich World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magi, Trina J.; Mardeusz, Patricia E.

2013-01-01

For decades, academic librarians have provided individual research consultations for students. There is little information, however, about why students schedule consultations, the kinds of assistance students feel are provided by librarians during consultations, and what students find valuable about face-to-face consultations, even with the…

Interactive Distance Learning Effectively Provides Winning Sports Nutrition Workshops.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ricketts, Jennifer; Hoelscher-Day, Sharon; Begeman, Gale; Houtkooper, Linda

2001-01-01

Interactive distance-education (n=226) and face-to-face (n=129) continuing education workshops for health care and education professionals on sports nutrition were evaluated immediately and after 6 months. The well-designed distance-education format was as effective and acceptable as face to face and increased sports nutrition knowledge. (SK)

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: Symptoms and Biomarkers

PubMed Central

Jasona, Leonard A.; Zinn, Marcie L.; Zinn, Mark A.

2015-01-01

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) continues to cause significant morbidity worldwide with an estimated one million cases in the United States. Hurdles to establishing consensus to achieve accurate evaluation of patients with ME continue, fueled by poor agreement about case definitions, slow progress in development of standardized diagnostic approaches, and issues surrounding research priorities. Because there are other medical problems, such as early MS and Parkinson’s Disease, which have some similar clinical presentations, it is critical to accurately diagnose ME to make a differential diagnosis. In this article, we explore and summarize advances in the physiological and neurological approaches to understanding, diagnosing, and treating ME. We identify key areas and approaches to elucidate the core and secondary symptom clusters in ME so as to provide some practical suggestions in evaluation of ME for clinicians and researchers. This review, therefore, represents a synthesis of key discussions in the literature, and has important implications for a better understanding of ME, its biological markers, and diagnostic criteria. There is a clear need for more longitudinal studies in this area with larger data sets, which correct for multiple testing. PMID:26411464

Continuous movement decoding using a target-dependent model with EMG inputs.

PubMed

Sachs, Nicholas A; Corbett, Elaine A; Miller, Lee E; Perreault, Eric J

2011-01-01

Trajectory-based models that incorporate target position information have been shown to accurately decode reaching movements from bio-control signals, such as muscle (EMG) and cortical activity (neural spikes). One major hurdle in implementing such models for neuroprosthetic control is that they are inherently designed to decode single reaches from a position of origin to a specific target. Gaze direction can be used to identify appropriate targets, however information regarding movement intent is needed to determine when a reach is meant to begin and when it has been completed. We used linear discriminant analysis to classify limb states into movement classes based on recorded EMG from a sparse set of shoulder muscles. We then used the detected state transitions to update target information in a mixture of Kalman filters that incorporated target position explicitly in the state, and used EMG activity to decode arm movements. Updating the target position initiated movement along new trajectories, allowing a sequence of appropriately timed single reaches to be decoded in series and enabling highly accurate continuous control.

Online and unsupervised face recognition for continuous video stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huo, Hongwen; Feng, Jufu

2009-10-01

We present a novel online face recognition approach for video stream in this paper. Our method includes two stages: pre-training and online training. In the pre-training phase, our method observes interactions, collects batches of input data, and attempts to estimate their distributions (Box-Cox transformation is adopted here to normalize rough estimates). In the online training phase, our method incrementally improves classifiers' knowledge of the face space and updates it continuously with incremental eigenspace analysis. The performance achieved by our method shows its great potential in video stream processing.

Predicting Workplace Transfer of Learning: A Study of Adult Learners Enrolled in a Continuing Professional Education Training Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nafukho, Fredrick Muyia; Alfred, Mary; Chakraborty, Misha; Johnson, Michelle; Cherrstrom, Catherine A.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to predict transfer of learning to workplace among adult learners enrolled in a continuing professional education (CPE) training program, specifically training courses offered through face-to-face, blended and online instruction formats. The study examined the predictive capacity of trainee…

How 'blended' is blended learning?: students' perceptions of issues around the integration of online and face-to-face learning in a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) health care context.

PubMed

Glogowska, Margaret; Young, Pat; Lockyer, Lesley; Moule, Pam

2011-11-01

This paper explores students' perceptions of blended learning modules delivered in a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) health care context in the UK. 'Blended learning' is the term used to describe a hybrid model of learning where traditional face-to-face teaching approaches and newer electronic learning activities and resources are utilised together. A new model of CPD for health care practitioners based on a blended learning approach was developed at a university in the south west of England. As part of the evaluation of the new modules, a qualitative study was conducted, in which 17 students who had experienced the modules were interviewed by telephone. Three main themes emerged from the interviews relating to the 'blended' nature of the blended learning modules. These were i) issues around the opportunities for discussion of online materials face-to-face; ii) issues of what material should be online versus face-to-face and iii) balancing online and face-to-face components. Teaching staff engaged in the development of blended learning courses need to pay particular attention to the ways in which they develop and integrate online and face-to-face materials. More attention needs to be paid to allowing opportunity for students to come together to create a 'community of inquiry'. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biomechanical Behavior of Bioprosthetic Heart Valve Heterograft Tissues: Characterization, Simulation, and Performance

PubMed Central

Soares, Joao S.; Feaver, Kristen R.; Zhang, Will; Kamensky, David; Aggarwal, Ankush; Sacks, Michael S.

2017-01-01

The use of replacement heart valves continues to grow due to the increased prevalence of valvular heart disease resulting from an ageing population. Since bioprosthetic heart valves (BHVs) continue to be the preferred replacement valve, there continues to be a strong need to develop better and more reliable BHVs through and improved the general understanding of BHV failure mechanisms. The major technological hurdle for the lifespan of the BHV implant continues to be the durability of the constituent leaflet biomaterials, which if improved can lead to substantial clinical impact. In order to develop improved solutions for BHV biomaterials, it is critical to have a better understanding of the inherent biomechanical behaviors of the leaflet biomaterials, including chemical treatment technologies, the impact of repetitive mechanical loading, and the inherent failure modes. This review seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of these issues, with a focus on developing insight on the mechanisms of BHV function and failure. Additionally, this review provides a detailed summary of the computational biomechanical simulations that have been used to inform and develop a higher level of understanding of BHV tissues and their failure modes. Collectively, this information should serve as a tool not only to infer reliable and dependable prosthesis function, but also to instigate and facilitate the design of future bioprosthetic valves and clinically impact cardiology. PMID:27507280

Online vs. Face-to-Face Course Evaluations: Considerations for Administrators and Faculty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marzano, Michael P.; Allen, Robert

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether students evaluate courses differently, and perhaps more critically, when delivered online vs. face-to-face (F2F). Course evaluations are associated with the instructor that taught the course. Course evaluation continues to be a significant assessment vehicle of faculty performance used by many…

Comparison of Student Academic Achievement in an Information Technology Course across Modalities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Susee, Dawn

2017-01-01

Online education continues to grow at a faster pace than traditional education. Even though students may prefer face-to-face education, they find the anywhere, anytime aspect of online education hard to resist. Universities are offering more courses in both a face-to-face and online option. For both accreditation and quality assurance purposes, it…

Student Success in Face-to-Face and Distance Teleclass Environments: A Matter of Contact?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deka, Teddi S.; McMurry, Patrick

2006-01-01

Learning from a distance continues to gain popularity. An influx of traditional, and even on-campus students attest to its flexibility, but are they equipped to succeed in a low-contact distance environment versus a face-to-face, on-campus environment? This research explored whether several variables including background, preparedness and…

49 CFR 236.745 - Face, locking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Face, locking. 236.745 Section 236.745 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Face, locking. The locking surface of a locking dog, tappet or cross locking of an interlocking machine. ...

49 CFR 236.745 - Face, locking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Face, locking. 236.745 Section 236.745 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Face, locking. The locking surface of a locking dog, tappet or cross locking of an interlocking machine. ...

49 CFR 236.745 - Face, locking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Face, locking. 236.745 Section 236.745 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Face, locking. The locking surface of a locking dog, tappet or cross locking of an interlocking machine. ...

49 CFR 236.745 - Face, locking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Face, locking. 236.745 Section 236.745 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Face, locking. The locking surface of a locking dog, tappet or cross locking of an interlocking machine. ...

49 CFR 236.745 - Face, locking.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Face, locking. 236.745 Section 236.745 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION... Face, locking. The locking surface of a locking dog, tappet or cross locking of an interlocking machine. ...

Effect of assistance on peritonitis risk in diabetic patients treated by peritoneal dialysis: report from the French Language Peritoneal Dialysis Registry.

PubMed

Benabed, Anais; Bechade, Clemence; Ficheux, Maxence; Verger, Christian; Lobbedez, Thierry

2016-04-01

Diabetic patients treated by peritoneal dialysis (PD) have been reported to be at an increased risk of peritonitis. This has been attributed to impairment in host defense, visual impairment, disability and muscle wasting, which could compromise ability to safely perform catheter connections. This study aimed to evaluate whether assisted PD is associated with a lower risk of peritonitis in diabetic patients. This was a retrospective study based on data from the French Language Peritoneal Dialysis Registry. We included diabetic patients starting PD between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2012. The end of the observation period was 31 December 2013. Using complementary regression analysis (Fine and Gray, Hurdle models), we assessed the relationship between peritonitis occurrence, peritonitis number over time and the type of assisted PD. Of the 3598 diabetic patients, there were 2040 patients on nurse-assisted PD. These patients were older, more comorbid and more frequently on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). In the multivariate analysis, nurse assistance was associated with a reduced risk of peritonitis in the Fine and Gray [subdistribution hazard ratio: 0.78 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.68-0.89)] and in the first component of the Hurdle models [rate ratio: 0.82 (95% CI 0.71-0.93)], but not a lower incidence of peritonitis after an initial episode [rate ratio: 0.82 (95% CI 0.95-1.38)]. Transplant failure, glomerulonephritis and CAPD were associated with an increased risk. In France, nurse-assisted PD is associated with a lower risk of peritonitis in diabetic patients treated by PD but not a lower incidence of peritonitis. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of ERA-EDTA. All rights reserved.

Intracardiac electrocardiographic assessment of precordial TASER shocks in human subjects: A pilot study.

PubMed

Stopyra, Jason P; Winslow, James E; Fitzgerald, David M; Bozeman, William P

2017-11-01

Case reports of cardiac arrest in temporal proximity to Conducted Electrical Weapon(CEW) exposure raise legitimate concerns about this as a rare possibility. In this pilot study, we respectfully navigate the oversight and regulatory hurdles and demonstrate the intra-shock electrocardiographic effects of an intentional transcardiac CEW discharge using subcutaneous probes placed directly across the precordium of patients with a previously implanted intracardiac EKG sensing lead. Adults scheduled to undergo diagnostic EP studies or replacement of an implanted cardiac device were enrolled. Sterile subcutaneous electrodes were placed at the right sternoclavicular junction and the left lower costal margin at the midclavicular line. A standard police issue TASER Model X26 CEW was attached to the subcutaneous electrodes and a 5 s discharge was delivered. Continuous surface and intracardiac EKG monitoring was performed. A total of 157 subjects were reviewed for possible inclusion and 21 were interviewed. Among these, 4 subjects agreed and completed the study protocol. All subjects tolerated the 5 s CEW discharge without clinical complications. There were no significant changes in mean heart rate or blood pressure. Interrogation of the devices after CEW discharge revealed no ventricular pacing, dysrhythmias, damage or interference with the implanted devices. In this pilot study, we have successfully navigated the regulatory hurdles and demonstrated the feasibility of performing intracardiac EKG recording during intentional precordial CEW discharges in humans. While no CEW-associated dysrhythmias were noted, the size of this preliminary dataset precludes making conclusions about the risk of such events. Larger studies are warranted and should consider exploring variations of the CEW electrode position in relation to the cardiac silhouette. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Using The Corngrass1 Gene To Enhance The Biofuel Properties Of Crop Plants

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hake, Sarah; Chuck, George

2015-10-29

The development of novel plant germplasm is vital to addressing our increasing bioenergy demands. The major hurdle to digesting plant biomass is the complex structure of the cell walls, the substrate of fermentation. Plant cell walls are inaccessible matrices of macromolecules that are polymerized with lignin, making fermentation difficult. Overcoming this hurdle is a major goal toward developing usable bioenergy crop plants. Our project seeks to enhance the biofuel properties of perennial grass species using the Corngrass1 (Cg1) gene and its targets. Dominant maize Cg1 mutants produce increased biomass by continuously initiating extra axillary meristems and leaves. We cloned Cg1more » and showed that its phenotype is caused by over expression of a unique miR156 microRNA gene that negatively regulates SPL transcription factors. We transferred the Cg1 phenotype to other plants by expressing the gene behind constitutive promoters in four different species, including the monocots, Brachypodium and switchgrass, and dicots, Arabidopsis and poplar. All transformants displayed a similar range of phenotypes, including increased biomass from extended leaf production, and increased vegetative branching. Field grown switchgrass transformants showed that overall lignin content was reduced, the ratio of glucans to xylans was increased, and surprisingly, that starch levels were greatly increased. The goals of this project are to control the tissue and temporal expression of Cg1 by using different promoters to drive its expression, elucidate the function of the SPL targets of Cg1 by generating gain and loss of function alleles, and isolate downstream targets of select SPL genes using deep sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation. We believe it is possible to control biomass accumulation, cell wall properties, and sugar levels through manipulation of either the Cg1 gene and/or its SPL targets.« less

FY2017 Report on NISC Measurements and Detector Simulations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Andrews, Madison Theresa; Meierbachtol, Krista Cruse; Jordan, Tyler Alexander

FY17 work focused on automation, both of the measurement analysis and comparison of simulations. The experimental apparatus was relocated and weeks of continuous measurements of the spontaneous fission source 252Cf was performed. Programs were developed to automate the conversion of measurements into ROOT data framework files with a simple terminal input. The complete analysis of the measurement (which includes energy calibration and the identification of correlated counts) can now be completed with a documented process which involves one simple execution line as well. Finally, the hurdles of slow MCNP simulations resulting in low simulation statistics have been overcome with themore » generation of multi-run suites which make use of the highperformance computing resources at LANL. Preliminary comparisons of measurements and simulations have been performed and will be the focus of FY18 work.« less

Primary care research--a blueprint for action for Singapore.

PubMed

Chuan, T N; Gan, G L

2001-01-01

Primary care research, hitherto overshadowed by research in the tertiary institutions, lacks impetus due to image, limitations of resources and poor infrastructure. This article looks into the current state of research development and the barriers. These hurdles can be overcome by a paradigm shift through the initiation of regular research meetings, training, infrastructure support and a collaborative research network to optimize time and resources. This will open the door to a wide field of primary care research, from basic, clinical research to health service and health system analysis and evaluation. Family physicians can tap on this opportunity to sharpen their critical appraisal skills through research, which can form an integral part of their continuous professional development. A network of pro-research family physicians will foster a vibrant research culture and pave the way to a renaissance of primary care research.

The social context of the aeronautical education experience of African-American civilian, commercial, and military pilots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Walker, Taurean Mashawn

The purpose of this research is to explore the social context (the nature and cultural environment) of the aeronautical training experience of African-American civilian, commercial, and military pilots. This research highlights the challenges African-American pilots are exposed to in addition to drawing parallels between the social context and the obstacles they are subjected to along the way. This study is valuable for stakeholders, African-American pilot aspirants, aviation corporations, Federal Aviation Administration, flight schools - in the aviation industry in understanding ways to initiate a paradigm shift and increase awareness about representation and participation of African-American aviation professionals. The qualitative approach was selected to gather a better understanding of the sociological hurdles black aviators face while going through the journey of becoming a pilot. Hardiman (2010) states, "While quantitative research is valuable, qualitative research provides the researcher the ability to view real world situations as they naturally unfold" ( p. 25). According to OBAP (2014), less than 2% of pilots in the United States are African-American. The experiences shared by the participants can provide helpful insight of possible policy implications for the aeronautical industry. There were three research questions in the study: 1) What factors hindered pilot training? 2) What were the resilience factors experienced during pilot training? 3) What were the defining features of the social context surrounding pilot training? Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted of six professional pilots. A qualitative data analysis was conducted to illustrate the context of the social challenges during the course of pilot training. Three themes were revealed: 1) access, 2) perception of inferiority, and 3) support. Implications of the significance of providing social networks to expose African-Americans to aviation were discussed. Additional means of access and exposure of African-Americans to aviation is essential for further research.

Heading for Hardship: Retirement Income for American Women in the Next Century. Mother's Day Report 1990.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Older Women's League, Washington, DC.

Millions of women face bleak retirement futures. In 40 years, when today's 25-year-olds retire, fewer women will be retiring married, and therefore fewer will have access to a husband's retirement income. Young women continue to face a future of significantly lower wages. Caregiving responsibilities continue to fall predominantly on women's…

Crash Frequency Analysis Using Hurdle Models with Random Effects Considering Short-Term Panel Data

PubMed Central

Chen, Feng; Ma, Xiaoxiang; Chen, Suren; Yang, Lin

2016-01-01

Random effect panel data hurdle models are established to research the daily crash frequency on a mountainous section of highway I-70 in Colorado. Road Weather Information System (RWIS) real-time traffic and weather and road surface conditions are merged into the models incorporating road characteristics. The random effect hurdle negative binomial (REHNB) model is developed to study the daily crash frequency along with three other competing models. The proposed model considers the serial correlation of observations, the unbalanced panel-data structure, and dominating zeroes. Based on several statistical tests, the REHNB model is identified as the most appropriate one among four candidate models for a typical mountainous highway. The results show that: (1) the presence of over-dispersion in the short-term crash frequency data is due to both excess zeros and unobserved heterogeneity in the crash data; and (2) the REHNB model is suitable for this type of data. Moreover, time-varying variables including weather conditions, road surface conditions and traffic conditions are found to play importation roles in crash frequency. Besides the methodological advancements, the proposed technology bears great potential for engineering applications to develop short-term crash frequency models by utilizing detailed data from field monitoring data such as RWIS, which is becoming more accessible around the world. PMID:27792209

Point-of-care diagnostics: will the hurdles be overcome this time?

PubMed

Huckle, David

2006-07-01

Point-of-care diagnostics have been proposed as the latest development in clinical diagnostics several times in the last 30 years; however, they have not yet fully developed into a business sector to match the projections. This perspective examines the reasons for past failures and the failure of technology to meet user needs. Advances have taken place in the last few years that effectively remove technology as a barrier to the development of point-of-care testing. Even regulatory issues regarding how products are developed and claims supported have been absorbed, understood and now accepted. The emphasis here is on the possible favorable aspects that are novel this time around. These changes have arisen as a result of the situation with global healthcare economics and the pressure from patients to be treated more like customers. The final hurdles relate to the conflict between diagnosis with the patient present and treated as soon as the point-of-care result is available and the entrenched positions of the central laboratory, the suppliers and their established distribution chains, and the way in which healthcare budgets are allocated. The ultimate hurdle that encapsulates all of these issues is reimbursement, which is the final barrier to a significant point-of-care diagnostics market--without reimbursement there will be no market.

The Number of Trials Required to Obtain a Representative Movement Pattern During a Hurdle Hop Exercise.

PubMed

Gore, Shane J; Marshall, Brendan M; Franklyn-Miller, Andrew D; Falvey, Eanna C; Moran, Kieran A

2016-06-01

When reporting a subject's mean movement pattern, it is important to ensure that reported values are representative of the subject's typical movement. While previous studies have used the mean of 3 trials, scientific justification of this number is lacking. One approach is to determine statistically how many trials are required to achieve a representative mean. This study compared 4 methods of calculating the number of trials required in a hopping movement to achieve a representative mean. Fifteen males completed 15 trials of a lateral hurdle hop. Range of motion at the trunk, pelvis, hip, knee, and ankle, in addition to peak moments for the latter 3 joints were examined. The number of trials required was computed using a peak intraclass correlation coefficient method, sequential analysis with a bandwidth of acceptable variance in the mean, and a novel method based on the standard error of measurement (SEMind). The number of trials required across all variables ranged from 2 to 12 depending on method, joint, and anatomical plane. The authors advocate the SEMind method as it demonstrated fewer limitations than the other methods. Using the SEMind, the required number of trials for a representative mean during the lateral hurdle hop is 6.

Experience of an academic institute in importing a novel preclinical drug into India.

PubMed

Kumar, M Praveen; Medhi, Bikash

2017-01-01

The article throws light on the process of importing a novel preclinical drug into India based on the real-life experience from one of our studies. A novel drug "X" acting through a new mechanism of action was hypothesized by us to function as a neuroprotectant. It was decided to import this novel drug from a university located in Brazil. An official collaboration pact was exchanged between both the sides. In accordance with the Indian Drug and Cosmetics Act 1940, unauthorized import of drug into India is not permitted. Hence, we decided to apply for the import license from Government of India. During the process of registration, we realized that the CDSCO SUGAM portal did not have facilities for the application from academic institute. We further faced challenges in different steps of import such as registration of the institute, individual drug application, fee transaction through the bank for Form 12, and customs duty clearance in the New Delhi airport. The process of import of drug for the purpose of testing by academic institutes has not been regularized by the CDSCO, and we suggest the apex organization to make separate provision for the academic institutes. This will encourage more academic institutes in India to opt for global collaborative works. This narration will further help them in following the same footsteps without facing significant hurdles. If more research on novel chemical entities is carried out in various academic institutes of India, it would not be far that we discover a blockbuster drug making the whole world turn toward us.

Perspectives of healthcare providers on the nutritional management of patients on haemodialysis in Australia: an interview study

PubMed Central

Tong, Allison; Campbell, Katrina L; Craig, Jonathan C; Lee, Vincent W

2018-01-01

Objective To describe the perspectives of healthcare providers on the nutritional management of patients on haemodialysis, which may inform strategies for improving patient-centred nutritional care. Design Face-to-face semistructured interviews were conducted until data saturation, and thematic analysis based on principles of grounded theory. Setting 21 haemodialysis centres across Australia. Participants 42 haemodialysis clinicians (nephrologists and nephrology trainees (15), nurses (12) and dietitians (15)) were purposively sampled to obtain a range of demographic characteristics and clinical experiences. Results Six themes were identified: responding to changing clinical status (individualising strategies to patient needs, prioritising acute events, adapting guidelines), integrating patient circumstances (assimilating life priorities, access and affordability), delineating specialty roles in collaborative structures (shared and cohesive care, pivotal role of dietary expertise, facilitating access to nutritional care, perpetuating conflicting advice and patient confusion, devaluing nutritional specialty), empowerment for behaviour change (enabling comprehension of complexities, building autonomy and ownership, developing self-efficacy through engagement, tailoring self-management strategies), initiating and sustaining motivation (encountering motivational hurdles, empathy for confronting life changes, fostering non-judgemental relationships, emphasising symptomatic and tangible benefits, harnessing support networks), and organisational and staffing barriers (staffing shortfalls, readdressing system inefficiencies). Conclusions Organisational support with collaborative multidisciplinary teams and individualised patient care were seen as necessary for developing positive patient–clinician relationships, delivering consistent nutrition advice, and building and sustaining patient motivation to enable change in dietary behaviour. Improving service delivery and developing and delivering targeted, multifaceted self-management interventions may enhance current nutritional management of patients on haemodialysis. PMID:29523567

Dissemination and Exploitation: Project Goals beyond Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamann, Kristin; Reitz, Anja

2017-04-01

Dissemination and Exploitation are essential parts of public funded projects. In Horizon 2020 a plan for the exploitation and dissemination of results (PEDR) is a requirement. The plan should contain a clear vision on the objectives of the project in relation to actions for dissemination and potential exploitation of the project results. The actions follow the basic idea to spread the knowledge and results gathered within the project and face the challenge of how to bring the results into potentially relevant policy circle and how they impact the market. The plan follows the purpose to assess the impact of the project and to address various target groups who are interested in the project results. Simply put, dissemination concentrates on the transfer of knowledge and exploitation on the commercialization of the project. Beyond the question of the measurability of project`s impact, strategies within science marketing can serve purposes beyond internal and external communication. Accordingly, project managers are facing the challenge to implement a dissemination and exploitation strategy that ideally supports the identification of all partners with the project and matches the current discourse of the project`s content within the society, politics and economy. A consolidated plan might unite all projects partners under a central idea and supports the identification with the project beyond the individual research questions. Which applications, strategies and methods can be used to bring forward a PEDR that accompanies a project successfully and allows a comprehensive assessment of the project afterwards? Which hurdles might project managers experience in the dissemination process and which tasks should be fulfilled by the project manager?

Overcoming the Challenges of siRNA Delivery: Nanoparticle Strategies.

PubMed

Shajari, Neda; Mansoori, Behzad; Davudian, Sadaf; Mohammadi, Ali; Baradaran, Behzad

2017-01-01

Despite therapeutics based on siRNA have an immense potential for the treatment of incurable diseases such as cancers. However, the in vivo utilization of siRNA and also the delivery of this agent to the target site is one of the most controversial challenges. The helpful assistance by nanoparticles can improve stable delivery and also enhance efficacy. More nanoparticle-based siRNA therapeutics is expected to become available in the near future. The search strategy followed the guidelines of the Centre of Reviews and Dissemination. The studies were identified from seven databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Academic Search Premiere, CINAHL, Medline Ovid, Eric and Cochrane Library). Studies was selected based on titles, abstracts and full texts. One hundred twenty nine papers were included in the review. These papers defined hurdles in RNAi delivery and also strategies to overcome these hurdles. This review discussed the existing hurdles for systemic administration of siRNA as therapeutic agents and highlights the various strategies to overcome these hurdles, including lipid-based nanoparticles and polymeric nanoparticles, and we also briefly reviewed chemical modification. Delivery of siRNA to the target site is the biggest challenge for its application in the clinic. The findings of this review confirmed by encapsulation siRNA in the nanoparticles can overcome these challenges. The rapid progress in nanotechnology has enabled the development of effective nanoparticles as the carrier for siRNA delivery. However, our data about siRNA-based therapeutics and also nanomedicine are still limited. More clinical data needs to be completely understood in the benefits and drawbacks of siRNA-based therapeutics. Prospective studies must pay attention to the in vivo safety profiles of the different delivery systems, including uninvited immune system stimulation and cytotoxicity. In essence, the development of nontoxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable delivery systems for medical application of RNAi-based therapeutics is needed. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Face Adaptation and Attractiveness Aftereffects in 8-Year-Olds and Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anzures, Gizelle; Mondloch, Catherine J.; Lackner, Christine

2009-01-01

A novel method was used to investigate developmental changes in face processing: attractiveness aftereffects. Consistent with the norm-based coding model, viewing consistently distorted faces shifts adults' attractiveness preferences toward the adapting stimuli. Thus, adults' attractiveness judgments are influenced by a continuously updated face…

Frequency and risk indicators of tooth decay among pregnant women in France: a cross-sectional analysis.

PubMed

Vergnes, Jean-Noel; Kaminski, Monique; Lelong, Nathalie; Musset, Anne-Marie; Sixou, Michel; Nabet, Cathy

2012-01-01

Little is known on the prevalence of tooth decay among pregnant women. Better knowledge of tooth decay risk indicators during pregnancy could help to develop follow-up protocols for women at risk, along with better prevention strategies. The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of tooth decay and the number of decayed teeth per woman in a large sample of pregnant women in France, and to study associated risk indicators. A secondary cross-sectional analysis of data from a French multicentre case-control study was performed. The sample was composed of 1094 at-term women of six maternity units. A dental examination was carried out within 2 to 4 days post-partum. Socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics were obtained through a standardised interview with the women. Medical characteristics were obtained from the women's medical records. Risk indicators associated with tooth decay were identified using a negative binomial hurdle model. 51.6% of the women had tooth decay. The mean number of decayed teeth among women having at least one was 3.1 (s.d. = 2.8). Having tooth decay was statistically associated with lower age (aOR = 1.58, 95%CI [1.03,2.45]), lower educational level (aOR = 1.53, 95%CI [1.06,2.23]) and dental plaque (aOR = 1.75, 95%CI [1.27,2.41]). The number of decayed teeth was associated with the same risk indicators and with non-French nationality and inadequate prenatal care. The frequency of tooth decay and the number of decayed teeth among pregnant women were high. Oral health promotion programmes must continue to inform women and care providers about the importance of dental care before, during and after pregnancy. Future research should also assess the effectiveness of public policies related to oral health in target populations of pregnant women facing challenging social or economic situations.

Barriers to Online Postsecondary Education Crumble: Enrollment in Traditional Face-to-Face Courses Declines as Enrollment in Online Courses Increases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gray, Dahli

2013-01-01

Contrary to expectations, total postsecondary enrollment in the United States (US) declined in Fall 2011. In fact, it continues to decline while online enrollment continues to increase. Students can more easily cross geographic boundaries as online access causes barriers to postsecondary education to crumble, and more than 50% of the demand for…

The Impact of Online Teaching and Learning about Emotional Intelligence, Myers Briggs Personality Dimensions and Mindfulness on Personal and Social Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cotler, Jami L.

2016-01-01

As computer-meditated communication continues to evolve and become more sophisticated and accessible, the applications for this technology continue to grow. One area that has garnered a considerable amount of attention is online teaching and learning. Research has shown increasing evidence that learning outcomes of face-to-face, in comparison to…

Student Equity: Discouraging Cheating in Online Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Michael, Timothy B.; Williams, Melissa A.

2013-01-01

As online programs at conventional universities continue to expand, administrators and faculty face new challenges. Academic dishonesty is nothing new, but an online testing environment requires different strategies and tactics from what we have had to consider in the past. Our university has recently adapted successful face-to-face programs in…

MBTI Personality Type and Other Factors that Relate to Preference for Online versus Face-to-Face Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrington, Rick; Loffredo, Donald A.

2010-01-01

Online college classes are being offered at a rate that far exceeds the growth of overall higher education classes. However, much can still be learned about how to create a better online classroom environment by determining why a large percentage of students continue to prefer face-to-face classes. One factor among many that may have an influence…

Continuing the Conversation about Face-to-Face, Online, and Blended Learning a Meta-Analysis of Empirical Literature 2006-2017

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wandera, Silas

2017-01-01

This paper serves two purposes. First, it statistically compares learning outcomes of face-to-face, online and blended learning instruction. Then it looks at the instructional practices that are associated with effective blended and online learning. A meta-analysis of 30 studies, with 3,687 participants, resulted in 36 effect sizes. The contrasts…

Rising Strengths Hong Kong SAR in Bioinformatics.

PubMed

Chakraborty, Chiranjib; George Priya Doss, C; Zhu, Hailong; Agoramoorthy, Govindasamy

2017-06-01

Hong Kong's bioinformatics sector is attaining new heights in combination with its economic boom and the predominance of the working-age group in its population. Factors such as a knowledge-based and free-market economy have contributed towards a prominent position on the world map of bioinformatics. In this review, we have considered the educational measures, landmark research activities and the achievements of bioinformatics companies and the role of the Hong Kong government in the establishment of bioinformatics as strength. However, several hurdles remain. New government policies will assist computational biologists to overcome these hurdles and further raise the profile of the field. There is a high expectation that bioinformatics in Hong Kong will be a promising area for the next generation.

Skin Condition Finder

MedlinePlus

... 2 Select Gender Male Female 3 Select Body Location Scalp Face Neck Chest Back Arm Armpit Stomach ... a body location to continue. 3 Select Body Location Face Forehead Ear Eye Nose Cheek/Beard Area ...

Toolbox for Renewable Energy Project Development

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The Toolbox for Renewable Energy Project Development summarizes key project development issues, addresses how to overcome major hurdles, and provides a curated directory of project development resources.

15 CFR 295.6 - Criteria for selection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... innovation, the technical approach, major technical hurdles, the attendant risks, and clearly establish... project and project's organizational structure and management plan, including the extent to which...

Pruning or tuning? Maturational profiles of face specialization during typical development.

PubMed

Zhu, Xun; Bhatt, Ramesh S; Joseph, Jane E

2016-06-01

Face processing undergoes significant developmental change with age. Two kinds of developmental changes in face specialization were examined in this study: specialized maturation, or the continued tuning of a region to faces but little change in the tuning to other categories; and competitive interactions, or the continued tuning to faces accompanied by decreased tuning to nonfaces (i.e., pruning). Using fMRI, in regions where adults showed a face preference, a face- and object-specialization index were computed for younger children (5-8 years), older children (9-12 years) and adults (18-45 years). The specialization index was scaled to each subject's maximum activation magnitude in each region to control for overall age differences in the activation level. Although no regions showed significant face specialization in the younger age group, regions strongly associated with social cognition (e.g., right posterior superior temporal sulcus, right inferior orbital cortex) showed specialized maturation, in which tuning to faces increased with age but there was no pruning of nonface responses. Conversely, regions that are associated with more basic perceptual processing or motor mirroring (right middle temporal cortex, right inferior occipital cortex, right inferior frontal opercular cortex) showed competitive interactions in which tuning to faces was accompanied by pruning of object responses with age. The overall findings suggest that cortical maturation for face processing is regional-specific and involves both increased tuning to faces and diminished response to nonfaces. Regions that show competitive interactions likely support a more generalized function that is co-opted for face processing with development, whereas regions that show specialized maturation increase their tuning to faces, potentially in an activity-dependent, experience-driven manner.

A Comparative Study of Factors Related to Student Performance in Online and Traditional Face-to-Face MBA Courses That Are Quantitative and Qualitative in Nature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Carenado V.

2013-01-01

Online learning environments have been embraced by many institutions, faculty, and students as a viable adult learning option to the traditional face-to-face learning environment. As this mode of delivery for instruction continues to grow in acceptance, it is important to understand the characteristics of adult learners, the historical progression…

Teleoperated control system for underground room and pillar mining

DOEpatents

Mayercheck, William D.; Kwitowski, August J.; Brautigam, Albert L.; Mueller, Brian K.

1992-01-01

A teleoperated mining system is provided for remotely controlling the various machines involved with thin seam mining. A thin seam continuous miner located at a mining face includes a camera mounted thereon and a slave computer for controlling the miner and the camera. A plurality of sensors for relaying information about the miner and the face to the slave computer. A slave computer controlled ventilation sub-system which removes combustible material from the mining face. A haulage sub-system removes material mined by the continuous miner from the mining face to a collection site and is also controlled by the slave computer. A base station, which controls the supply of power and water to the continuous miner, haulage system, and ventilation systems, includes cable/hose handling module for winding or unwinding cables/hoses connected to the miner, an operator control module, and a hydraulic power and air compressor module for supplying air to the miner. An operator controlled host computer housed in the operator control module is connected to the slave computer via a two wire communications line.

The real-time link between person perception and action: Brain potential evidence for dynamic continuity

PubMed Central

Freeman, Jonathan B.; Ambady, Nalini; Midgley, Katherine J.; Holcomb, Phillip J.

2010-01-01

Using event-related potentials, we investigated how the brain extracts information from another’s face and translates it into relevant action in real-time. In Study 1, participants made between-hand sex categorizations of sex-typical and sex-atypical faces. Sex-atypical faces evoked negativity between 250-550 ms (N300/N400 effects), reflecting the integration of accumulating sex-category knowledge into a coherent sex-category interpretation. Additionally, the lateralized readiness potential (LRP) revealed that the motor cortex began preparing for a correct hand response while social category knowledge was still gradually evolving in parallel. In Study 2, participants made between-hand eye-color categorizations as part of go/no-go trials that were contingent on a target’s sex. On no-go trials, although the hand did not actually move, information about eye color partially prepared the motor cortex to move the hand before perception of sex had finalized. Together, these findings demonstrate the dynamic continuity between person perception and action, such that ongoing results from face processing are immediately and continuously cascaded into the motor system over time. The preparation of action begins based on tentative perceptions of another’s face before perceivers have finished interpreting what they just saw. PMID:20602284

The real-time link between person perception and action: brain potential evidence for dynamic continuity.

PubMed

Freeman, Jonathan B; Ambady, Nalini; Midgley, Katherine J; Holcomb, Phillip J

2011-01-01

Using event-related potentials, we investigated how the brain extracts information from another's face and translates it into relevant action in real time. In Study 1, participants made between-hand sex categorizations of sex-typical and sex-atypical faces. Sex-atypical faces evoked negativity between 250 and 550 ms (N300/N400 effects), reflecting the integration of accumulating sex-category knowledge into a coherent sex-category interpretation. Additionally, the lateralized readiness potential revealed that the motor cortex began preparing for a correct hand response while social category knowledge was still gradually evolving in parallel. In Study 2, participants made between-hand eye-color categorizations as part of go/no-go trials that were contingent on a target's sex. On no-go trials, although the hand did not actually move, information about eye color partially prepared the motor cortex to move the hand before perception of sex had finalized. Together, these findings demonstrate the dynamic continuity between person perception and action, such that ongoing results from face processing are immediately and continuously cascaded into the motor system over time. The preparation of action begins based on tentative perceptions of another's face before perceivers have finished interpreting what they just saw. © 2010 Psychology Press, an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an Informa business

Graduate Students' Experiences: Developing Self-efficacy.

PubMed

Laurencelle, Francine; Scanlan, Judith

2018-01-09

The nurse educator shortage continues without an increase in the numbers of graduate prepared nurses. Studies identified challenges in recruitment of nursing graduate students. No studies explore the experiences of nurses during graduate education. The framework used was Bandura's self-efficacy theory. The population for this study included 15 nurse educators with a master's or doctoral degree currently teaching in an undergraduate or graduate program in a western Canadian city. In semi-structured interviews, participants shared their experiences. Two themes emerged from the data: i) the hurdles of learning and ii) being a graduate student. The purpose of this article is to report the findings of faculty members' experiences as graduate students. Understanding these experiences will help graduate faculty understand how graduate students develop self-efficacy throughout their graduate programs. Moreover, findings of this study will help graduate students succeed in a graduate program. Finally, issues related to recruitment and retention are addressed.

The Elephants in the Room: Sex, HIV, and LGBT Populations in MENA. Intersectionality in Lebanon

PubMed Central

Kaplan, Rachel L.; El Khoury, Cynthia

2017-01-01

In response to this insightful editorial, we wish to provide commentary that seeks to highlight recent successes and illuminate the often unspoken hurdles at the intersections of culture, politics, and taboo. We focus on sexual transmission and draw examples from Lebanon, where the pursuit of data in quality and quantity is teaching us lessons about the way forward and where we are experiencing many of the challenges referenced in the editorial such as discrepancies between national statistics and rates derived via research as well as the impact of protracted political conflict and displacement. Two important points were raised in the editorial about HIV in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) that we would like to expand further: (1) The epidemic is largely driven by drug-related and sexual behavior among key populations; and (2) Several key populations continue to be criminalized and excluded from surveillance programs. PMID:28812848

Trapping of the Enoyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Reductase–Acyl Carrier Protein Interaction

PubMed Central

Tallorin, Lorillee; Finzel, Kara; Nguyen, Quynh G.; Beld, Joris; La Clair, James J.; Burkart, Michael D.

2016-01-01

An ideal target for metabolic engineering, fatty acid biosynthesis remains poorly understood on a molecular level. These carrier protein-dependent pathways require fundamental protein–protein interactions to guide reactivity and processivity, and their control has become one of the major hurdles in successfully adapting these biological machines. Our laboratory has developed methods to prepare acyl carrier proteins (ACPs) loaded with substrate mimetics and cross-linkers to visualize and trap interactions with partner enzymes, and we continue to expand the tools for studying these pathways. We now describe application of the slow-onset, tight-binding inhibitor triclosan to explore the interactions between the type II fatty acid ACP from Escherichia coli, AcpP, and its corresponding enoyl-ACP reductase, FabI. We show that the AcpP–triclosan complex demonstrates nM binding, inhibits in vitro activity, and can be used to isolate FabI in complex proteomes. PMID:26938266

Conference scene: progress with promising human antibodies.

PubMed

Larrick, James W

2012-03-01

Antibodies and antibody-based therapeutics have become big business, with annual sales over US$50 billion, accounting for >6% of worldwide pharmaceutical revenues. Ten molecules have blockbuster status (>US$1 billion), with six generating more than US$6 billion in sales. In excess of 300 products based on this rapidly maturing technology are in clinical trials. The generation and manufacture of human antibodies is now routine, although the cost of goods remains an issue. Optimizing combinations of antibodies with other therapeutics (e.g., chemotherapy) is a major short-term goal, while target validation and product differentiation remain significant hurdles if growth is to continue. Some of the notable highlights of the recent 16th International Conference on Human Antibodies and Hybridomas meeting in Cannes, France are described below. The conference was sponsored by the international journal Human Antibodies, in association with the Integrative Medical Sciences Association (IMSA). The Program Chairman was Professor Mark Glassy, IMSA, San Diego, CA, USA.

Pharmacist's role in dispensing opioids for acute and chronic pain.

PubMed

Marlowe, Karen F; Geiler, Richard

2012-10-01

Pain continues to be a serious health care concern in the United States. Patients with chronic pain experience the impact of the disease throughout their lives including their social interactions, family relationships, and in many cases economic productivity. Multiple surveys have found that many pharmacists hold misconceptions regarding opioids, pain disease states, and their understandings of current regulations. Multiple barriers affect the ability of pharmacists to deliver care to patients' prescribed opioid therapy. Inadequate communication between health care professionals and patients is one of the hurdles, which prevents quality care. Increased communication between health care providers including access to health information is one step, which is crucial to improving provision of pharmacotherapy. Finally, the quality of educational opportunities relative to opioids and pain management specifically for pharmacists needs to be increased, and consideration needs to be given for making appropriate pain management education mandatory.

Malaria invasion ligand RH5 and its prime candidacy in blood-stage malaria vaccine design

PubMed Central

Ord, Rosalynn L; Rodriguez, Marilis; Lobo, Cheryl A

2015-01-01

With drug resistance to available therapeutics continuing to develop against Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the development of an effective vaccine candidate remains a major research goal. Successful interruption of invasion of parasites into erythrocytes during the blood stage of infection will prevent the severe clinical symptoms and complications associated with malaria. Previously studied blood stage antigens have highlighted the hurdles that are inherent to this life-cycle stage, namely that highly immunogenic antigens are also globally diverse, resulting in protection only against the vaccine strain, or that naturally acquired immunity to blood stage antigens do not always correlate with actual protection. The blood stage antigen reticulocyte binding homolog RH5 is essential for parasite viability, has globally limited diversity, and is associated with protection from disease. Here we summarize available information on this invasion ligand and recent findings that highlight its candidacy for inclusion in a blood-stage malaria vaccine. PMID:25844685

Coformer screening using thermal analysis based on binary phase diagrams.

PubMed

Yamashita, Hiroyuki; Hirakura, Yutaka; Yuda, Masamichi; Terada, Katsuhide

2014-08-01

The advent of cocrystals has demonstrated a growing need for efficient and comprehensive coformer screening in search of better development forms, including salt forms. Here, we investigated a coformer screening system for salts and cocrystals based on binary phase diagrams using thermal analysis and examined the effectiveness of the method. Indomethacin and tenoxicam were used as models of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). Physical mixtures of an API and 42 kinds of coformers were analyzed using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray DSC. We also conducted coformer screening using a conventional slurry method and compared these results with those from the thermal analysis method and previous studies. Compared with the slurry method, the thermal analysis method was a high-performance screening system, particularly for APIs with low solubility and/or propensity to form solvates. However, this method faced hurdles for screening coformers combined with an API in the presence of kinetic hindrance for salt or cocrystal formation during heating or if there is degradation near the metastable eutectic temperature. The thermal analysis and slurry methods are considered complementary to each other for coformer screening. Feasibility of the thermal analysis method in drug discovery practice is ensured given its small scale and high throughput.

New, strategic outsourcing models to meet changing clinical development needs.

PubMed

Jones, Janet; Minor, Michael

2010-04-01

The impact of increasing clinical costs and the need for more data to support higher efficacy demands and overcome regulatory hurdles for market entry means that every Company is faced with the challenge of how to do more with a smaller budget. As budgets get squeezed the pharmaceutical Industry has been looking at how to contain or reduce cost and support an increased number of projects. With the growing sophistication of outsourcing, this is an increasingly important area of focus. Some Pharmaceutical Companies have moved from tactical, case by case, outsourcing to new, more strategic relationships, which involve outsourcing functions that were historically held as core pharmaceutical functions. An increasing number of Sponsors are looking at strategic relationships which are based on more creative outsourcing approaches. As the need and sophistication of these outsourcing models and the sponsors / CROs involved in them, these approaches are becoming more transformational and need to be based on a strong partnership. Lessons learned from working with sponsors in a partnership model have been examined and two key challenges addressed in detail: the need for bilateral central control though a strong governance model and the importance of early planning and commitment.

The economics of personalized medicine: commercialization as a driver of return on investment.

PubMed

Keeling, Peter; Roth, Mollie; Zietlow, Tom

2012-09-15

Optimizing commercialization of drugs is the sine qua non of the pharmaceutical industry and intensive work has been done to characterize fully the drivers of drug adoption and understand the resources required to optimize those drivers for full adoption of drugs. Conversely, while the pharmaceutical industry is actively embracing the new personalized medicine (PM) paradigm, much work remains to be done to understand fully what drives adoption of targeted therapies and how to resource those drivers appropriately. While the industry is slowly learning from its early missteps, progress is still inhibited by a lack of understanding of the specific hurdles that individual development teams face in developing and commercializing targeted therapies and the requirement for budgets specifically aimed at driving test adoption. This article considers the benefits of optimizing commercial planning in the PM space and the potential negative impact in potentially failing to optimize that planning. Real world insights are used to illustrate that a far broader commercial lens is required in the PM space and will touch on functional areas not usually included in the context of 'commercial' decisions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Direct observation of transcription activator-like effector (TALE) protein dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cuculis, Luke; Abil, Zhanar; Zhao, Huimin; Schroeder, Charles M.

2014-03-01

In this work, we describe a single molecule assay to probe the site-search dynamics of transcription activator-like effector (TALE) proteins along DNA. In modern genetics, the ability to selectively edit the human genome is an unprecedented development, driven by recent advances in targeted nuclease proteins. Specific gene editing can be accomplished using TALE proteins, which are programmable DNA-binding proteins that can be fused to a nuclease domain. In this way, TALENs are a leading technology that has shown great success in the genomic editing of pluripotent stem cells. A major hurdle facing clinical implementation, however, is the potential for deleterious off-target binding events. For these reasons, a molecular-level understanding of TALE binding and target sequence search on DNA is essential. To this end, we developed a single-molecule fluorescence imaging assay that provides a first-of-its-kind view of the 1-D diffusion of TALE proteins along stretched DNA. Taken together with co-crystal structures of DNA-bound TALEs, our results suggest a rotationally-coupled, major groove tracking model for diffusion. We further report diffusion constants for TALE proteins as a function of salt concentration, consistent with previously described models of 1-D protein diffusion.

New, Strategic Outsourcing Models to Meet Changing Clinical Development Needs

PubMed Central

Jones, Janet; Minor, Michael

2010-01-01

The impact of increasing clinical costs and the need for more data to support higher efficacy demands and overcome regulatory hurdles for market entry means that every Company is faced with the challenge of how to do more with a smaller budget. As budgets get squeezed the pharmaceutical Industry has been looking at how to contain or reduce cost and support an increased number of projects. With the growing sophistication of outsourcing, this is an increasingly important area of focus. Some Pharmaceutical Companies have moved from tactical, case by case, outsourcing to new, more strategic relationships, which involve outsourcing functions that were historically held as core pharmaceutical functions. An increasing number of Sponsors are looking at strategic relationships which are based on more creative outsourcing approaches. As the need and sophistication of these outsourcing models and the sponsors / CROs involved in them, these approaches are becoming more transformational and need to be based on a strong partnership. Lessons learned from working with sponsors in a partnership model have been examined and two key challenges addressed in detail: the need for bilateral central control though a strong governance model and the importance of early planning and commitment. PMID:21829788

Sustainable fuel, food, fertilizer and ecosystems through a global artificial photosynthetic system: overcoming anticompetitive barriers.

PubMed

Bruce, Alex; Faunce, Thomas

2015-06-06

This article discusses challenges that artificial photosynthetic (AP) systems will face when entering and competing in a global market characterized by established fossil fuel technology. It provides a perspective on the neoliberal principles underpinning much policy entrenching such environmentally destructive technology and outlines how competition law could aid overcoming these hurdles for AP development. In particular, it critiques the potential for competition law to promote a global AP initiative with greater emphasis on atmospheric carbon dioxide and nitrogen fixation (as well as solar-driven water splitting) to produce an equitable, globally distributed source of human food, fertilizer and biosphere sustainability, as well as hydrogen-based fuel. Some relevant strategies of competition law evaluated in this context include greater citizen-consumer involvement in shaping market values, legal requirements to factor services from the natural environment (i.e. provision of clean air, water, soil pollution degradation) into corporate costs, reform of corporate taxation and requirements to balance maximization of shareholder profit with contribution to a nominated public good, a global financial transactions tax, as well as prohibiting horizontal cartels, vertical agreements and unilateral misuse of market power.

Electricity generation by direct oxidation of glucose in mediatorless microbial fuel cells.

PubMed

Chaudhuri, Swades K; Lovley, Derek R

2003-10-01

Abundant energy, stored primarily in the form of carbohydrates, can be found in waste biomass from agricultural, municipal and industrial sources as well as in dedicated energy crops, such as corn and other grains. Potential strategies for deriving useful forms of energy from carbohydrates include production of ethanol and conversion to hydrogen, but these approaches face technical and economic hurdles. An alternative strategy is direct conversion of sugars to electrical power. Existing transition metal-catalyzed fuel cells cannot be used to generate electric power from carbohydrates. Alternatively, biofuel cells in which whole cells or isolated redox enzymes catalyze the oxidation of the sugar have been developed, but their applicability has been limited by several factors, including (i) the need to add electron-shuttling compounds that mediate electron transfer from the cell to the anode, (ii) incomplete oxidation of the sugars and (iii) lack of long-term stability of the fuel cells. Here we report on a novel microorganism, Rhodoferax ferrireducens, that can oxidize glucose to CO(2) and quantitatively transfer electrons to graphite electrodes without the need for an electron-shuttling mediator. Growth is supported by energy derived from the electron transfer process itself and results in stable, long-term power production.

Chimeric Antigen Receptors in Different Cell Types: New Vehicles Join the Race.

PubMed

Harrer, Dennis C; Dörrie, Jan; Schaft, Niels

2018-05-01

Adoptive cellular therapy has evolved into a powerful force in the battle against cancer, holding promise for curative responses in patients with advanced and refractory tumors. Autologous T cells, reprogrammed to target malignant cells via the expression of a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) represent the frontrunner in this approach. Tremendous clinical regressions have been achieved using CAR-T cells against a variety of cancers both in numerous preclinical studies and in several clinical trials, most notably against acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and resulted in a very recent United States Food and Drug Administration approval of the first CAR-T-cell therapy. In most studies CARs are transferred to conventional αβT cells. Nevertheless, transferring a CAR into different cell types, such as γδT cells, natural killer cells, natural killer T cells, and myeloid cells has yet received relatively little attention, although these cell types possess unique features that may aid in surmounting some of the hurdles CAR-T-cell therapy currently faces. This review focuses on CAR therapy using effectors beyond conventional αβT cells and discusses those strategies against the backdrop of developing a safe, powerful, and durable cancer therapy.

Sustainable fuel, food, fertilizer and ecosystems through a global artificial photosynthetic system: overcoming anticompetitive barriers

PubMed Central

Bruce, Alex; Faunce, Thomas

2015-01-01

This article discusses challenges that artificial photosynthetic (AP) systems will face when entering and competing in a global market characterized by established fossil fuel technology. It provides a perspective on the neoliberal principles underpinning much policy entrenching such environmentally destructive technology and outlines how competition law could aid overcoming these hurdles for AP development. In particular, it critiques the potential for competition law to promote a global AP initiative with greater emphasis on atmospheric carbon dioxide and nitrogen fixation (as well as solar-driven water splitting) to produce an equitable, globally distributed source of human food, fertilizer and biosphere sustainability, as well as hydrogen-based fuel. Some relevant strategies of competition law evaluated in this context include greater citizen–consumer involvement in shaping market values, legal requirements to factor services from the natural environment (i.e. provision of clean air, water, soil pollution degradation) into corporate costs, reform of corporate taxation and requirements to balance maximization of shareholder profit with contribution to a nominated public good, a global financial transactions tax, as well as prohibiting horizontal cartels, vertical agreements and unilateral misuse of market power. PMID:26052427

How NASA is Building a Petabyte Scale Geospatial Archive in the Cloud

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pilone, Dan; Quinn, Patrick; Jazayeri, Alireza; Baynes, Kathleen; Murphy, Kevin J.

2018-01-01

NASA's Earth Observing System Data and Information System (EOSDIS) is working towards a vision of a cloud-based, highly-flexible, ingest, archive, management, and distribution system for its ever-growing and evolving data holdings. This free and open source system, Cumulus, is emerging from its prototyping stages and is poised to make a huge impact on how NASA manages and disseminates its Earth science data. This talk outlines the motivation for this work, present the achievements and hurdles of the past 18 months and charts a course for the future expansion of Cumulus. We explore not just the technical, but also the socio-technical challenges that we face in evolving a system of this magnitude into the cloud. The NASA EOSDIS archive is currently at nearly 30 PBs and will grow to over 300PBs in the coming years. We've presented progress on this effort at AWS re:Invent and the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting in 2017 and hope to have the opportunity to share with FOSS4G attendees information on the availability of the open sourced software and how NASA intends on making its Earth Observing Geospatial data available for free to the public in the cloud.

Faculty Expectations of Graduate Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartel, Richard W.

When looking for a new student a few years ago, I considered an international student who wasn't available for me to interview personally—something I've come to require before I accept a student into my research group. After some preliminary discussion, I asked her my "behavioral" questions by email to give her an opportunity to provide me with some insight into her qualifications and character. I asked her to describe experiences where she had to resolve a conflict with someone else, where she had faced and overcome a hurdle, and to describe her motivation for graduate school. In her response, which started by noting a particular interaction she had had with her father, she presented me with a well-written documentary of her skills, into which her responses to my three questions were woven. Being the sort of person myself who would have bullet-pointed a response and detailed specific activities to document those skills, I was greatly impressed with her ability to think more broadly than my specific request, yet get at the heart of my questions in a creative approach. I accepted her as a student immediately because those are the attributes in a graduate student I value most highly.

Canonical and non-canonical barriers facing antimiR cancer therapeutics.

PubMed

Cheng, Christopher J; Saltzman, W Mark; Slack, Frank J

2013-01-01

Once considered genetic "oddities", microRNAs (miRNAs) are now recognized as key epigenetic regulators of numerous biological processes, including some with a causal link to the pathogenesis, maintenance, and treatment of cancer. The crux of small RNA-based therapeutics lies in the antagonism of potent cellular targets; the main shortcoming of the field in general, lies in ineffective delivery. Inhibition of oncogenic miRNAs is a relatively nascent therapeutic concept, but as with predecessor RNA-based therapies, success hinges on delivery efficacy. This review will describes the canonical (e.g. pharmacokinetics and clearance, cellular uptake, endosome escape, etc.) and non-canonical (e.g. spatial localization and accessibility of miRNA, technical limitations of miRNA inhibition, off-target impacts, etc.) challenges to the delivery of antisense-based anti-miRNA therapeutics (i.e. antimiRs) for the treatment of cancer. Emphasis will be placed on how the current leading antimiR platforms-ranging from naked chemically modified oligonucleotides to nanoscale delivery vehicles-are affected by and overcome these barriers. The perplexity of antimiR delivery presents both engineering and biological hurdles that must be overcome in order to capitalize on the extensive pharmacological benefits of antagonizing tumor-associated miRNAs.

Planning Training Loads for the 400 M Hurdles in Three-Month Mesocycles using Artificial Neural Networks.

PubMed

Przednowek, Krzysztof; Iskra, Janusz; Wiktorowicz, Krzysztof; Krzeszowski, Tomasz; Maszczyk, Adam

2017-12-01

This paper presents a novel approach to planning training loads in hurdling using artificial neural networks. The neural models performed the task of generating loads for athletes' training for the 400 meters hurdles. All the models were calculated based on the training data of 21 Polish National Team hurdlers, aged 22.25 ± 1.96, competing between 1989 and 2012. The analysis included 144 training plans that represented different stages in the annual training cycle. The main contribution of this paper is to develop neural models for planning training loads for the entire career of a typical hurdler. In the models, 29 variables were used, where four characterized the runner and 25 described the training process. Two artificial neural networks were used: a multi-layer perceptron and a network with radial basis functions. To assess the quality of the models, the leave-one-out cross-validation method was used in which the Normalized Root Mean Squared Error was calculated. The analysis shows that the method generating the smallest error was the radial basis function network with nine neurons in the hidden layer. Most of the calculated training loads demonstrated a non-linear relationship across the entire competitive period. The resulting model can be used as a tool to assist a coach in planning training loads during a selected training period.

Inferring biodiversity maintenance mechanisms from ecological pattern

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ostling, Annette

Among a set of competitors for a single common resource, the best will simply exclude the others. Yet in nature we can see astounding diversity of competing species. Do close similarities in species' response to the local environment primarily explain their coexistence? Or is this diversity possible because of differences between species that stabilize their coexistence? And if so, what particular differences between species are important in particular communities? Some ecological communities lend themselves to experimental manipulation to begin to answer these questions. Yet for many other communities, such as tree species in forests, the logistical hurdles to this approach are daunting. Faster progress could be made in ecology if insight into biodiversity maintenance mechanisms could be gained from patterns exhibited in local ecological communities, such as how coexisting species are distributed in their ecological traits and relative abundance. Hurdles that we need to overcome to be able to gain such insight include: 1) further developing neutral theory, a quantitative process-based null model of community pattern resulting when species similarities are what allow their coexistence, and 2) better understanding what patterns to expect when species differences dominate instead, particularly in the context of stochasticity and immigration. I will describe our ongoing research to overcome these hurdles, to provide better tools for analyzing observed pattern. National Science Foundation Advancing Theory in Biology Grant 1038678, Danish National Research Foundation Grant DNRF 96 for the Center of Macroecology, Evolution and Climate.

Clearing up the hazy road from bench to bedside: a framework for integrating the fourth hurdle into translational medicine.

PubMed

Rogowski, Wolf H; Hartz, Susanne C; John, Jürgen H

2008-09-24

New products evolving from research and development can only be translated to medical practice on a large scale if they are reimbursed by third-party payers. Yet the decision processes regarding reimbursement are highly complex and internationally heterogeneous. This study develops a process-oriented framework for monitoring these so-called fourth hurdle procedures in the context of product development from bench to bedside. The framework is suitable both for new drugs and other medical technologies. The study is based on expert interviews and literature searches, as well as an analysis of 47 websites of coverage decision-makers in England, Germany and the USA. Eight key steps for monitoring fourth hurdle procedures from a company perspective were determined: entering the scope of a healthcare payer; trigger of decision process; assessment; appraisal; setting level of reimbursement; establishing rules for service provision; formal and informal participation; and publication of the decision and supplementary information. Details are given for the English National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, the German Federal Joint Committee, Medicare's National and Local Coverage Determinations, and for Blue Cross Blue Shield companies. Coverage determination decisions for new procedures tend to be less formalized than for novel drugs. The analysis of coverage procedures and requirements shows that the proof of patient benefit is essential. Cost-effectiveness is likely to gain importance in future.

Metastability in plyometric training on unstable surfaces: a pilot study

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background In the past, plyometric training (PT) has been predominantly performed on stable surfaces. The purpose of this pilot study was to examine effects of a 7-week lower body PT on stable vs. unstable surfaces. This type of exercise condition may be denoted as metastable equilibrium. Methods Thirty-three physically active male sport science students (age: 24.1 ± 3.8 years) were randomly assigned to a PT group (n = 13) exercising on stable (STAB) and a PT group (n = 20) on unstable surfaces (INST). Both groups trained countermovement jumps, drop jumps, and practiced a hurdle jump course. In addition, high bar squats were performed. Physical fitness tests on stable surfaces (hexagonal obstacle test, countermovement jump, hurdle drop jump, left-right hop, dynamic and static balance tests, and leg extension strength) were used to examine the training effects. Results Significant main effects of time (ANOVA) were found for the countermovement jump, hurdle drop jump, hexagonal test, dynamic balance, and leg extension strength. A significant interaction of time and training mode was detected for the countermovement jump in favor of the INST group. No significant improvements were evident for either group in the left-right hop and in the static balance test. Conclusions These results show that lower body PT on unstable surfaces is a safe and efficient way to improve physical performance on stable surfaces. PMID:25089202

In situ investigation of Geobacillus stearothermophilus spore germination and inactivation mechanisms under moderate high pressure.

PubMed

Georget, Erika; Kapoor, Shobhna; Winter, Roland; Reineke, Kai; Song, Youye; Callanan, Michael; Ananta, Edwin; Heinz, Volker; Mathys, Alexander

2014-08-01

Bacterial spores are a major concern for food safety due to their high resistance to conventional preservation hurdles. Innovative hurdles can trigger bacterial spore germination or inactivate them. In this work, Geobacillus stearothermophilus spore high pressure (HP) germination and inactivation mechanisms were investigated by in situ infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and fluorometry. G. stearothermophilus spores' inner membrane (IM) was stained with Laurdan fluorescent dye. Time-dependent FT-IR and fluorescence spectra were recorded in situ under pressure at different temperatures. The Laurdan spectrum is affected by the lipid packing and level of hydration, and provided information on the IM state through the Laurdan generalized polarization. Changes in the -CH2 and -CH3 asymmetric stretching bands, characteristic of lipids, and in the amide I' band region, characteristic of proteins' secondary structure elements, enabled evaluation of the impact of HP on endospores lipid and protein structures. These studies were complemented by ex situ analyses (plate counts and microscopy). The methods applied showed high potential to identify germination mechanisms, particularly associated to the IM. Germination up to 3 log10 was achieved at 200 MPa and 55 °C. A molecular-level understanding of these mechanisms is important for the development and validation of multi-hurdle approaches to achieve commercial sterility. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Planning Training Loads for the 400 M Hurdles in Three-Month Mesocycles using Artificial Neural Networks

PubMed Central

Iskra, Janusz; Wiktorowicz, Krzysztof; Krzeszowski, Tomasz; Maszczyk, Adam

2017-01-01

Abstract This paper presents a novel approach to planning training loads in hurdling using artificial neural networks. The neural models performed the task of generating loads for athletes’ training for the 400 meters hurdles. All the models were calculated based on the training data of 21 Polish National Team hurdlers, aged 22.25 ± 1.96, competing between 1989 and 2012. The analysis included 144 training plans that represented different stages in the annual training cycle. The main contribution of this paper is to develop neural models for planning training loads for the entire career of a typical hurdler. In the models, 29 variables were used, where four characterized the runner and 25 described the training process. Two artificial neural networks were used: a multi-layer perceptron and a network with radial basis functions. To assess the quality of the models, the leave-one-out cross-validation method was used in which the Normalized Root Mean Squared Error was calculated. The analysis shows that the method generating the smallest error was the radial basis function network with nine neurons in the hidden layer. Most of the calculated training loads demonstrated a non-linear relationship across the entire competitive period. The resulting model can be used as a tool to assist a coach in planning training loads during a selected training period. PMID:29339998

Autistic traits are linked to reduced adaptive coding of face identity and selectively poorer face recognition in men but not women.

PubMed

Rhodes, Gillian; Jeffery, Linda; Taylor, Libby; Ewing, Louise

2013-11-01

Our ability to discriminate and recognize thousands of faces despite their similarity as visual patterns relies on adaptive, norm-based, coding mechanisms that are continuously updated by experience. Reduced adaptive coding of face identity has been proposed as a neurocognitive endophenotype for autism, because it is found in autism and in relatives of individuals with autism. Autistic traits can also extend continuously into the general population, raising the possibility that reduced adaptive coding of face identity may be more generally associated with autistic traits. In the present study, we investigated whether adaptive coding of face identity decreases as autistic traits increase in an undergraduate population. Adaptive coding was measured using face identity aftereffects, and autistic traits were measured using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) and its subscales. We also measured face and car recognition ability to determine whether autistic traits are selectively related to face recognition difficulties. We found that men who scored higher on levels of autistic traits related to social interaction had reduced adaptive coding of face identity. This result is consistent with the idea that atypical adaptive face-coding mechanisms are an endophenotype for autism. Autistic traits were also linked with face-selective recognition difficulties in men. However, there were some unexpected sex differences. In women, autistic traits were linked positively, rather than negatively, with adaptive coding of identity, and were unrelated to face-selective recognition difficulties. These sex differences indicate that autistic traits can have different neurocognitive correlates in men and women and raise the intriguing possibility that endophenotypes of autism can differ in males and females. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Accustomed to Her Face

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-06-26

After nearly three years at Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft continues to observe the planet retinue of icy moons. Rhea cratered face attests to its great age, while its bright wisps hint at tectonic activity in the past

29 CFR 1917.91 - Eye and face protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (CONTINUED) MARINE TERMINALS Personal Protection § 1917.91 Eye and face protection. (a)(1)(i) The employer... requirements covering eye protection against radiant energy, see § 1917.152(h). (b) Eye protection equipment...

29 CFR 1917.91 - Eye and face protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... (CONTINUED) MARINE TERMINALS Personal Protection § 1917.91 Eye and face protection. (a)(1)(i) The employer... requirements covering eye protection against radiant energy, see § 1917.152(h). (b) Eye protection equipment...

29 CFR 1917.91 - Eye and face protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... (CONTINUED) MARINE TERMINALS Personal Protection § 1917.91 Eye and face protection. (a)(1)(i) The employer... requirements covering eye protection against radiant energy, see § 1917.152(h). (b) Eye protection equipment...

Antecedences to Continued Intentions of Adopting E-Learning System in Blended Learning Instruction: A Contingency Framework Based on Models of Information System Success and Task-Technology Fit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Wen-Shan; Wang, Chun-Hsien

2012-01-01

The objective of this study is to propose a research framework that investigates the relation between perceived fit and system factors that can motivate learners in continuing utilizing an e-learning system in blended learning instruction. As learners have the face-to-face learning opportunity in interacting with lecturers, the study aims at…

Recent advances to improve fermentative butanol production: genetic engineering and fermentation technology.

PubMed

Zheng, Jin; Tashiro, Yukihiro; Wang, Qunhui; Sonomoto, Kenji

2015-01-01

Butanol has recently attracted attention as an alternative biofuel because of its various advantages over other biofuels. Many researchers have focused on butanol fermentation with renewable and sustainable resources, especially lignocellulosic materials, which has provided significant progress in butanol fermentation. However, there are still some drawbacks in butanol fermentation in terms of low butanol concentration and productivity, high cost of feedstock and product inhibition, which makes butanol fermentation less competitive than the production of other biofuels. These hurdles are being resolved in several ways. Genetic engineering is now available for improving butanol yield and butanol ratio through overexpression, knock out/down, and insertion of genes encoding key enzymes in the metabolic pathway of butanol fermentation. In addition, there are also many strategies to improve fermentation technology, such as multi-stage continuous fermentation, continuous fermentation integrated with immobilization and cell recycling, and the inclusion of additional organic acids or electron carriers to change metabolic flux. This review focuses on the most recent advances in butanol fermentation especially from the perspectives of genetic engineering and fermentation technology. Copyright © 2014 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impact of molecular targets in cancer drug development: major hurdles and future strategies.

PubMed

Hebar, Alexandra; Valent, Peter; Selzer, Edgar

2013-01-01

The last decades were characterized by enormous technological advances resulting in a better understanding of disease pathologies and improvement of treatment strategies. The development of targeted drugs, whose beginning can be traced back to Paul Ehrlich's theory of the 'magic bullet' approximately 100 years ago, is today widely appraised as a promising strategy to combat benign, as well as malignant, diseases. Over 40 years after US President Nixon declared the 'war on cancer', treatment outcome, especially of solid tumors in the advanced stages of disease, still lies far behind expectations. In this perspective article, the authors discuss the recent development of targeted cancer drugs and identify major hurdles. The authors further highlight future strategies that might improve and accelerate the drug-development process.

Technological hurdles to the application of intercalated graphite fibers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaier, James R.

1988-01-01

Before intercalated graphite fibers can be developed as an effective power material, there are several technological hurdles which must be overcome. These include the environmental stability, homogeneity and bulk properties, connection procedures, and costs. Strides were made within the last several years in stability and homogeneity of intercalated graphite fibers. Bulk properties and connection procedures are areas of active research now. Costs are still prohibitive for all but the most demanding applications. None of these problems, however, appear to be unsolvable, and their solution may result in wide spread GOC application. The development of a relatively simple technology application, such as EMI shielding, would stimulate the solution of scale-up problems. Once this technology is developed, then more demanding applications, such as power bus bars, may be possible.

Women & Housing: A Report on Sex Discrimination in Five American Cities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Council of Negro Women, New York, NY.

Public hearings and workshops were held in five metropolitan areas to gather data about the problems women in American cities face when they try to acquire and maintain a place to live. The chief findings were: (1) women have faced and continue to face discrimination in marketing, lending, and shelter-related services; (2) discrimination against…

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: From Face to Face Interaction to a Broader Contextual Understanding of Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jahoda, A.; Dagnan, D.; Kroese, B. Stenfert; Pert, C.; Trower, P.

2009-01-01

Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is increasingly used to address the emotional and interpersonal problems of people with ID. There is a limited but promising evidence base supporting this activity. However, these individuals face real and continuing challenges in their lives that have implications for their self and interpersonal perceptions.…

Business continuity management in emerging markets: the case of Jordan.

PubMed

Sawalha, Ihab H; Anchor, John R

2012-01-01

Despite their considerable growth in last few decades, emerging markets (EM) face numerous risks that have the potential to slow down or obstruct their development. Three main issues are discussed in this paper: first, the risks facing organisations operating in emerging markets and Jordan in particular; secondly, the role of business continuity management (BCM) in emerging markets; and thirdly, potential factors that underpin the role of BCM in emerging markets. These issues are significant, as they represent the role of BCM in highly dynamic and fast changing business environments. The paper provides a discussion of the significance of BCM in reducing or preventing risks facing organisations operating in emerging markets, especially those in Jordan.

Conscious awareness is required for holistic face processing

PubMed Central

Axelrod, Vadim; Rees, Geraint

2014-01-01

Investigating the limits of unconscious processing is essential to understand the function of consciousness. Here, we explored whether holistic face processing, a mechanism believed to be important for face processing in general, can be accomplished unconsciously. Using a novel “eyes-face” stimulus we tested whether discrimination of pairs of eyes was influenced by the surrounding face context. While the eyes were fully visible, the faces that provided context could be rendered invisible through continuous flash suppression. Two experiments with three different sets of face stimuli and a subliminal learning procedure converged to show that invisible faces did not influence perception of visible eyes. In contrast, surrounding faces, when they were clearly visible, strongly influenced perception of the eyes. Thus, we conclude that conscious awareness might be a prerequisite for holistic face processing. PMID:24950500

An adult learning perspective on disability and microfinance: The case of Katureebe.

PubMed

Nuwagaba, Ephraim L; Rule, Peter N

2016-01-01

Despite Uganda's progress in promoting affirmative action for persons with disabilities and its strategy of using microfinance to fight poverty, access to microfinance services by persons with disabilities is still problematic due to barriers, characterised by discrepancies between policies and practices. Regarding education, the affirmative action in favour of learners with disabilities has not translated into actual learning opportunities due to personal and environmental barriers. The study on which this article is based investigated the non-formal and informal adult learning practices regarding microfinance that persons with disabilities engaged in. This article seeks to illuminate the barriers that a person with a visual impairment encountered while learning about and engaging with microfinance and the strategies that he developed to overcome them. This was a case study, framed within the social model of disability and critical research paradigm. Data were collected through in-depth interviews of a person with visual impairment and observations of the environment in which adult learning and engagement with Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCOs) occurred. Findings indicate that the person with a visual disability faced barriers to learning about microfinance services. He experienced barriers in an integrated manner and developed strategies to overcome these barriers. The barriers and strategies are theorised using the social model of disability. The case of a person with visual impairment suggests that persons with disabilities face multiple barriers regarding microfinance, including social, psychological and educational. However, his own agency and attitudes were also of importance as they influenced his learning. Viewing these barriers as blockades can lead to non-participation in learning and engagement with microfinance whereas viewing them as surmountable hurdles can potentially motivate participants to succeed in learning about and engaging with microfinance.

Health-Related Financial Catastrophe, Inequality and Chronic Illness in Bangladesh

PubMed Central

Rahman, Md. Mizanur; Gilmour, Stuart; Saito, Eiko; Sultana, Papia; Shibuya, Kenji

2013-01-01

Background Bangladesh has a high proportion of households incurring catastrophic health expenditure, and very limited risk sharing mechanisms. Identifying determinants of out-of-pocket (OOP) payments and catastrophic health expenditure may reveal opportunities to reduce costs and protect households from financial risk. Objective This study investigates the determinants of high healthcare expenditure and healthcare- related financial catastrophe. Methods A cross-sectional household survey was conducted in Rajshahi city, Bangladesh, in 2011. Catastrophic health expenditure was estimated separately based on capacity to pay and proportion of non-food expenditure. Determinants of OOP payments and financial catastrophe were estimated using double hurdle and Poisson regression models respectively. Results On average households spent 11% of their total budgets on health, half the residents spent 7% of the monthly per capita consumption expenditure for one illness, and nearly 9% of households faced financial catastrophe. The poorest households spent less on health but had a four times higher risk of catastrophe than the richest households. The risk of financial catastrophe and the level of OOP payments were higher for users of inpatient, outpatient public and private facilities respectively compared to using self-medication or traditional healers. Other determinants of OOP payments and catastrophic expenses were economic status, presence of chronic illness in the household, and illness among children and adults. Conclusion Households that received inpatient or outpatient private care experienced the highest burden of health expenditure. The poorest members of the community also face large, often catastrophic expenses. Chronic illness management is crucial to reducing the total burden of disease in a household and its associated increased risk of level of OOP payments and catastrophic expenses. Households can only be protected from these situations by reducing the health system's dependency on OOP payments and providing more financial risk protection. PMID:23451102

Nuclear DNA analyses in genetic studies of populations: practice, problems and prospects.

PubMed

Zhang, De-Xing; Hewitt, Godfrey M

2003-03-01

Population-genetic studies have been remarkably productive and successful in the last decade following the invention of PCR technology and the introduction of mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA markers. While mitochondrial DNA has proven powerful for genealogical and evolutionary studies of animal populations, and microsatellite sequences are the most revealing DNA markers available so far for inferring population structure and dynamics, they both have important and unavoidable limitations. To obtain a fuller picture of the history and evolutionary potential of populations, genealogical data from nuclear loci are essential, and the inclusion of other nuclear markers, i.e. single copy nuclear polymorphic (scnp) sequences, is clearly needed. Four major uncertainties for nuclear DNA analyses of populations have been facing us, i.e. the availability of scnp markers for carrying out such analysis, technical laboratory hurdles for resolving haplotypes, difficulty in data analysis because of recombination, low divergence levels and intraspecific multifurcation evolution, and the utility of scnp markers for addressing population-genetic questions. In this review, we discuss the availability of highly polymorphic single copy DNA in the nuclear genome, describe patterns and rate of evolution of nuclear sequences, summarize past empirical and theoretical efforts to recover and analyse data from scnp markers, and examine the difficulties, challenges and opportunities faced in such studies. We show that although challenges still exist, the above-mentioned obstacles are now being removed. Recent advances in technology and increases in statistical power provide the prospect of nuclear DNA analyses becoming routine practice, allowing allele-discriminating characterization of scnp loci and microsatellite loci. This certainly will increase our ability to address more complex questions, and thereby the sophistication of genetic analyses of populations.

Mainstream Issues of Education and Public Awareness of Space Activities and Sciences among universities and Scientific Institutes.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Balbir

This paper is an effort to study and analyze several constraints and issues of space technology and education that organizations other than governmental organizations face in awareness program. In recent years, advancements in technologies have made it possible for Volunteer and Technical Communities, non-government organizations, private agencies and academic research institutions to provide increasing support to space education management and emphasis on response efforts. Important cornerstones of this effort and support are the possibility to access and take advantage of satellite imagery as well as the use of other space-based technologies such as telecommunications satellites and global navigation satellite systems included in main curriculum plus the implementation of programs for use of high class sophisticated technologies used by industries to the students and researchers of non-space faring nations. The authors recognize the importance of such new methodologies for education and public Awareness. This paper demonstrates many hurdles universities and scientific institutions face including lack of access in terms of financial and technical resources for better support. A new model for coordinated private sector partnership in response to space sciences and education has been discussed. In depth analysis and techniques need to connect these pioneering communities with the space industry as well as the space governmental agencies, with special emphasis on financial constraints. The paper mandates its role to promote the use of space-based information; its established networks bringing together national institutions responsible for these space based activities, as well as other end users, and space solution experts; and its technical foundation, particularly in the area of information technologies. To help building a tighter cooperation and further understanding among all these communities, paper delivers an intensive report and solutions for future coordination and ease

Mechanisms to Explain the Elemental Composition of the Initial Aragonite Shell of Larval Oysters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haley, Brian A.; Hales, Burke; Brunner, Elizabeth L.; Kovalchik, Kevin; Waldbusser, George G.

2018-04-01

Calcifying organisms face increasing stress from the changing carbonate chemistry of an acidifying ocean, particularly bivalve larvae that live in upwelling regions of the world, such as the coastal and estuarine waters of Oregon (USA). Arguably the first and most significant developmental hurdle faced by larval oysters is formation of their initial prodissoconch I (PDI) shell, upon which further ontological development depends. We measured the minor metal compositions (Sr/Ca, Mg/Ca) of this aragonitic PDI shell and of post-PDI larval Crassostrea gigas shell, as well as the water they were reared in, over ˜20 days for a May and an August cohort in 2011, during which time there was no period of carbonate under-saturation. After testing various methods, we successfully isolated the shell from organic tissue using a 5% active chlorine bleach solution. Elemental compositions (Sr, Mg, C, N) of the shells post-treatment showed that shell Sr/Ca ranged from 1.55 to 1.82 mmol/mol; Mg/Ca from 0.60 to 1.11 mmol/mol, similar to the few comparable published data for larval oyster aragonite compositions. We compare these data in light of possible biomineralization mechanisms: an amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) path, an intercellular path, and a direct-from-seawater path to shell formation via biologically induced inorganic precipitation of aragonite. The last option provides a mechanistic explanation for: (1) the accelerated precipitation rates of biogenic calcification in the absence of a calcifying fluid; (2) consistently elevated precipitation rates at varying ambient-water saturation states; and (3) the high Ca-selectivity of the early larval calcification despite rapid precipitation rates.

An adult learning perspective on disability and microfinance: The case of Katureebe

PubMed Central

Nuwagaba, Ephraim L.

2016-01-01

Background Despite Uganda’s progress in promoting affirmative action for persons with disabilities and its strategy of using microfinance to fight poverty, access to microfinance services by persons with disabilities is still problematic due to barriers, characterised by discrepancies between policies and practices. Regarding education, the affirmative action in favour of learners with disabilities has not translated into actual learning opportunities due to personal and environmental barriers. Objectives The study on which this article is based investigated the non-formal and informal adult learning practices regarding microfinance that persons with disabilities engaged in. This article seeks to illuminate the barriers that a person with a visual impairment encountered while learning about and engaging with microfinance and the strategies that he developed to overcome them. Methods This was a case study, framed within the social model of disability and critical research paradigm. Data were collected through in-depth interviews of a person with visual impairment and observations of the environment in which adult learning and engagement with Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisations (SACCOs) occurred. Results Findings indicate that the person with a visual disability faced barriers to learning about microfinance services. He experienced barriers in an integrated manner and developed strategies to overcome these barriers. The barriers and strategies are theorised using the social model of disability. Conclusion The case of a person with visual impairment suggests that persons with disabilities face multiple barriers regarding microfinance, including social, psychological and educational. However, his own agency and attitudes were also of importance as they influenced his learning. Viewing these barriers as blockades can lead to non-participation in learning and engagement with microfinance whereas viewing them as surmountable hurdles can potentially motivate participants to succeed in learning about and engaging with microfinance. PMID:28730047

Elder Abuse and Neglect Intervention in the Clinical Setting: Perceptions and Barriers Faced by Primary Care Physicians in Malaysia.

PubMed

Mohd Mydin, Fadzilah Hanum; Othman, Sajaratulnisah

2017-08-01

This qualitative study attempts to explore the definition, perceptions, practice experience, and barriers of primary care physicians (PCPs) in identifying and intervening in cases of elder abuse and neglect at the primary care level. Semistructured in-depth interview was conducted among 10 PCPs. Participants were selected by purposive sampling. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. In general, PCPs showed consistency in defining elder abuse and neglect. PCPs considered that they were optimally positioned to intervene in cases of elder abuse and neglect, but indicated the potential of overlooking such problems. The hurdles faced by PCPs in the identification and intervention of elder abuse were determined to be occurring at three levels: clinical, organizational, and policy. At the clinical level, PCPs recognize that they are lacking both the confidence and knowledge of elder abuse and neglect intervention. PCPs' conflicting personal and professional beliefs create barriers during the clinical practice. Time constraints, patients' other clinical problems, and, in addition, the preservation of a good doctor-patient relationship overshadow the importance of addressing and intervening in elder abuse and neglect issues during the consultation. This is further exacerbated by the barriers perceived by the patients: their nondisclosure and reluctance to accept outside intervention. At the organizational level, the lack of efficient interagency networks or support for the health system poses barriers. At the policy level, the absence of legislation specifically addressing elder abuse also creates considerable difficulties. However, PCPs gave differing responses when asked about a law concerning the elderly and mandatory reporting. Addressing these multilevel barriers is critical for ensuring that opportunities arising at the primary care level for elder maltreatment intervention are correctly utilized.

Radiation risk perception and public information

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boggs-Mayes, C.J.

1988-01-01

We as Health Physicists face what, at many times, appears to be a hopeless task. The task simply stated is informing the public about the risks (or lack thereof) of radiation. Unfortunately, the public has perceived radiation risks to be much greater than they actually are. An example of this problem is shown in a paper by Arthur C. Upton. Three groups of people -- the League of Women Voters, students, and Business and Professional Club members -- were asked to rank 30 sources of risk according to their contribution to the number of deaths in the United States. Notmore » surprisingly, they ranked nuclear power much higher and medical x-rays much lower than the actual values. In addition to the perception problem, we are faced with another hurdle: health physicists as communicators. Members of the Health Physics Society (HPS) found that the communication styles of most health physicists appear to be dissimilar to those of the general public. These authors administered the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to the HPS Baltimore-Washington Chapter. This test, a standardized test for psychological type developed by Isabel Myers, ask questions that provide a quantitative measure of our natural preferences in four areas. Assume that you as a health physicist have the necessary skills to communicate information about radiation to the public. Health physicists do nothing with these tools. Most people involved in radiation protection do not get involved with public information activies. What I will attempt to do is heighten your interest in such activities. I will share information about public information activities in which I have been involved and give you suggestions for sources of information and materials. 2 refs., 1 tab.« less

Neonates’ responses to repeated exposure to a still face

PubMed Central

Pilling, Karen; Watt, Rachel; Pal, Attila; Orvos, Hajnalka

2017-01-01

Aim The main aims of the study were to examine whether human neonates’ responses to communication disturbance modelled by the still-face paradigm were stable and whether their responses were affected by their previous experience with the still-face paradigm. Methods The still face procedure, as a laboratory model of interpersonal stress, was administered repeatedly, twice, to 84 neonates (0 to 4 day olds), with a delay of an average of 1.25 day. Results Frame-by-frame analysis of the frequency and duration of gaze, distressed face, crying, sleeping and sucking behaviours showed that the procedure was stressful to them both times, that is, the still face effect was stable after repeated administration and newborns consistently responded to such nonverbal violation of communication. They averted their gaze, showed distress and cried more during the still-face phase in both the first and the second administration. They also showed a carry-over effect in that they continued to avert their gaze and displayed increased distress and crying in the first reunion period, but their gaze behaviour changed with experience, in the second administration. While in the first administration the babies continued averting their gaze even after the stressful still-face phase was over, this carry-over effect disappeared in the second administration, and the babies significantly increased their gaze following the still-face phase. Conclusion After excluding explanations of fatigue, habituation and random effects, a self-other regulatory model is discussed as a possible explanation for this pattern. PMID:28771555

Neonates' responses to repeated exposure to a still face.

PubMed

Nagy, Emese; Pilling, Karen; Watt, Rachel; Pal, Attila; Orvos, Hajnalka

2017-01-01

The main aims of the study were to examine whether human neonates' responses to communication disturbance modelled by the still-face paradigm were stable and whether their responses were affected by their previous experience with the still-face paradigm. The still face procedure, as a laboratory model of interpersonal stress, was administered repeatedly, twice, to 84 neonates (0 to 4 day olds), with a delay of an average of 1.25 day. Frame-by-frame analysis of the frequency and duration of gaze, distressed face, crying, sleeping and sucking behaviours showed that the procedure was stressful to them both times, that is, the still face effect was stable after repeated administration and newborns consistently responded to such nonverbal violation of communication. They averted their gaze, showed distress and cried more during the still-face phase in both the first and the second administration. They also showed a carry-over effect in that they continued to avert their gaze and displayed increased distress and crying in the first reunion period, but their gaze behaviour changed with experience, in the second administration. While in the first administration the babies continued averting their gaze even after the stressful still-face phase was over, this carry-over effect disappeared in the second administration, and the babies significantly increased their gaze following the still-face phase. After excluding explanations of fatigue, habituation and random effects, a self-other regulatory model is discussed as a possible explanation for this pattern.

Overcoming Hurdles: Teaching Guides To Interpret Biodiversity Conservation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kohl, Jon; Brown, Cynthia; Humke, Matt

2001-01-01

Highlights the development and use of bilingual nature guide training. Examines work at the RARE Center for tropical conservation in Central America. Speculates about the future of conservation interpretation. (DDR)

Inhibition of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Clostridium sporogenes in spinach packaged in modified atmospheres after treatment combined with chlorine and lactic acid bacteria.

PubMed

Brown, Alison L; Brooks, J Chance; Karunasena, Enusha; Echeverry, Alejandro; Laury, Angela; Brashears, Mindy M

2011-08-01

Implementation of modified atmospheric packaging (MAP) into retail produce is a less commonly practiced method due to differences among commodities and the potential growth of anaerobes. Pathogens including Escherichia coli O157:H7 have been responsible for spinach outbreaks across the United States. In this study, hurdles, including those currently used with produce safety, such as MAP and chlorine, were combined with lactic acid bacteria (LAB) to inhibit pathogens. Spinach was coinoculated with E. coli O157:H7 and Clostridium sporogenes, a surrogate for C. botulinum, and treated with water or a hurdle that included water, chlorine, and LAB. Spinach from treatments were packaged in air (traditional), oxygen (80% O₂, 20% CO₂), or nitrogen (80% N₂, 20% CO₂) and stored in a retail display case for 9 d at 4 to 7 °C. The hurdle inhibited E. coli O157:H7 and C. sporogenes compared to controls with reductions of 1.43 and 1.10 log (P < 0.05), respectively. The nitrogen atmosphere was outperformed by air and oxygen in the reduction of E. coli O157:H7 (P < 0.05) with a decrease of 0.26 and 0.15 logs. There were no significant differences among the 3 atmospheres on C. sporogenes survival. Relative to these hurdles, we also chose to evaluate the potential benefits of LAB in pathogen control. The survival of LAB in interventions demonstrates implementation of LAB into produce could control pathogens, without damaging produce or altering organoleptic properties. The goal of our work was to identify methods that could reduce food-borne pathogens in packaged spinach products. Using current industry techniques in combination with unique methods, such as the use of beneficial bacteria, our research identified whether harmful microorganisms could be eliminated. Our data demonstrate that specific packaging conditions with beneficial bacteria can help eliminate or reduce the survival of E. coli O157:H7 and C. sporogenes (a model for C. botulinum) in produce. Journal of Food Science © 2011 Institute of Food Technologists® No claim to original US government works.

Digital Storytelling: Conveying the Essence of a Face-to-Face Lecture in an Online Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baim, Susan A

2015-01-01

As the percentage of university-level courses delivered online continues to increase, instructors who rely on storytelling approaches to convey key concepts in lecture-based coursework will likely face the need to translate their oral storytelling modules into one or more formats that are suitable for use in an online learning environment. While…

Investigation of Effects of Face Rotation on Race Processing: An ERPs Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montalan, Benoit; Veujoz, Mathieu; Boitout, Alexis; Leleu, Arnaud; Camus, Odile; Lalonde, Robert; Rebai, Mohamed

2013-01-01

Recent ERP research has indicated that the processing of faces of other races (OR) and same race (SR) as the perceiver differs at the perceptual level, more precisely for the N170 component. The purpose of the present study was to continue the investigation of the race-of-face processing across multiple orientations. Event-related brain potentials…

[Blended learning in continuing medical education. Evaluation of an innovative curriculum "bipolar and bipolar spectrum disorders"].

PubMed

Greil, W; von Stralendorff, I; Mandl, H

2011-07-01

In this article a blended learning concept in continuing medical education is evaluated over a broad range of ages, as there is little data on this topic so far. The aims of this study were to document the blended learning concept, to evaluate the subjective gain of knowledge, as well as didactic and virtual means. Finally the actual usage and accreditation are reported. The curriculum referred to the topic of bipolar disorder, combined episodes of face-to-face instruction and individual web-based learning over a period of 3 months. The didactic concept was very well accepted by the participants (N=346) and was evaluated as very user-friendly. The most appreciated dimensions were "subjective gain of knowledge" and "support by media tutor". Nearly 80% participated in both face-to-face as well in both web-based episodes. The component of web-based learning was accredited by the responsible institution (State Medical Association) with increasing number of credits over a period of 3 years. Blended learning is a useful didactic concept in continuing medical education of psychiatrists independent of the age of the participants.

The Quark - A Decade Later

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dakin, James T.

1974-01-01

Reviews theoretical principles underlying the quark model. Indicates that the agreement with experimental results and the understanding of the quark-quark force are two hurdles for the model to survive in the future. (CC)

Performance and accountability : challenges facing the Department of Transportation

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-02-14

For surface transportation safety, DOT continues to face challenges in improving the safety of highways and pipelines. While the Department of Transportation appears to be making progress on some initiatives to reduce the number of large truck crashe...

Predicting the combinatorial effects of water activity, pH and organic acids on Listeria growth in media and complex food matrices.

PubMed

Nyhan, L; Begley, M; Mutel, A; Qu, Y; Johnson, N; Callanan, M

2018-09-01

The aim of this study was to develop a model to predict growth of Listeria in complex food matrices as a function of pH, water activity and undissociated acetic and propionic acid concentration i.e. common food hurdles. Experimental growth curves of Listeria in food products and broth media were collected from ComBase, the literature and industry sources from which a bespoke secondary gamma model was constructed. Model performance was evaluated by comparing predictions to measured growth rates in growth media (BHI broth) and two adjusted food matrices (zucchini purée and béarnaise sauce). In general, observed growth rates were higher in broth than in the food matrices which resulted in the model over-estimating growth in the adjusted food matrices. In addition, model outputs were more accurate for conditions without acids, indicating that the organic acid component of the model was a source of inaccuracy. In summary, a new predictive growth model for innovating or renovating food products that rely on multi-hurdle technology was created. This study is the first to report on modelling of propionic acid as an inhibitor of Listeria in combination with other hurdles. Our findings provide valuable insights into predictive model design and performance and highlight the importance of experimental validation of models in real food matrices rather than laboratory media alone. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conscious awareness is required for holistic face processing.

PubMed

Axelrod, Vadim; Rees, Geraint

2014-07-01

Investigating the limits of unconscious processing is essential to understand the function of consciousness. Here, we explored whether holistic face processing, a mechanism believed to be important for face processing in general, can be accomplished unconsciously. Using a novel "eyes-face" stimulus we tested whether discrimination of pairs of eyes was influenced by the surrounding face context. While the eyes were fully visible, the faces that provided context could be rendered invisible through continuous flash suppression. Two experiments with three different sets of face stimuli and a subliminal learning procedure converged to show that invisible faces did not influence perception of visible eyes. In contrast, surrounding faces, when they were clearly visible, strongly influenced perception of the eyes. Thus, we conclude that conscious awareness might be a prerequisite for holistic face processing. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Supramolecular networks with electron transfer in two dimensions

DOEpatents

Stupp, Samuel I.; Stoddart, J. Fraser; Shveyd, Alexander K.; Tayi, Alok S.; Sue, Chi-Hau; Narayanan, Ashwin

2016-09-13

Organic charge-transfer (CT) co-crystals in a crossed stack system are disclosed. The co-crystals exhibit bidirectional charge transfer interactions where one donor molecule shares electrons with two different acceptors, one acceptor face-to-face and the other edge-to-face. The assembly and charge transfer interaction results in a pleochroic material whereby the optical absorption continuously changes depending on the polarization angle of incident light.

30 CFR 57.22213 - Air flow (III mines).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... nearest the face, shall be at least 6,000 cubic feet per minute, or 9,000 cubic feet per minute in longwall and continuous miner sections. The quantity of air across each face at a work place shall be at...

30 CFR 57.22213 - Air flow (III mines).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... nearest the face, shall be at least 6,000 cubic feet per minute, or 9,000 cubic feet per minute in longwall and continuous miner sections. The quantity of air across each face at a work place shall be at...

The health and life path of rare disease patients: results of the 2015 French barometer

PubMed Central

Heuyer, Thomas; Pavan, Sonia; Vicard, Christine

2017-01-01

Purpose A barometer has been set up to provide better knowledge about the daily situation of French rare disease (RD) patients, their families and relatives, in order to contribute to the elaboration of improvement measures. This report focuses on the care and life path of RD patients. Patients and methods A preliminary survey was carried out with three patients, five parents and three RD experts to identify the main hurdles and disruptions in the life path of RD patients. It was used to design a larger survey comprising 60 questions as well as open fields allowing free expression. Respondents (448) comprised patients, parents of RD children and close relatives of patients. The Percentage of Maximum Deviation, Yates’ correction for continuity and Fisher’s test were employed to compare the responses between groups. Results Large disparities in the delays to obtain a diagnosis were identified (<1 year to >20 years), and longer delays were associated with negative perception of care conditions. While good interactions with education teams were reported (59% of respondents), the professional situation of both patients and parents was strongly and negatively impacted by the disease (51% did not work or stopped working). Three hundred respondents expressed various needs and psychological and personal issues were reported by 62% and 75% of respondents, respectively. Interestingly, the medical care path and daily life of RD patients were positively impacted by the follow-up in a specialized consultation, as reflected by changes in scores measured by our barometer (Fisher’s test, p<0.05). Conclusion Some of the main hurdles and sources of disruption in the life path of RD patients were identified, as well as some positive outcomes. These data could serve not only as a background for further studies, but also to better adapt the support to real needs and to improve the synergies between the many people involved in the life path of RD patients. PMID:28979171

Evaluating components of dental care utilization among adults with diabetes and matched controls via hurdle models

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background About one-third of adults with diabetes have severe oral complications. However, limited previous research has investigated dental care utilization associated with diabetes. This project had two purposes: to develop a methodology to estimate dental care utilization using claims data and to use this methodology to compare utilization of dental care between adults with and without diabetes. Methods Data included secondary enrollment and demographic data from Washington Dental Service (WDS) and Group Health Cooperative (GH), clinical data from GH, and dental-utilization data from WDS claims during 2002–2006. Dental and medical records from WDS and GH were linked for enrolees continuously and dually insured during the study. We employed hurdle models in a quasi-experimental setting to assess differences between adults with and without diabetes in 5-year cumulative utilization of dental services. Propensity score matching adjusted for differences in baseline covariates between the two groups. Results We found that adults with diabetes had lower odds of visiting a dentist (OR = 0.74, p < 0.001). Among those with a dental visit, diabetes patients had lower odds of receiving prophylaxes (OR = 0.77), fillings (OR = 0.80) and crowns (OR = 0.84) (p < 0.005 for all) and higher odds of receiving periodontal maintenance (OR = 1.24), non-surgical periodontal procedures (OR = 1.30), extractions (OR = 1.38) and removable prosthetics (OR = 1.36) (p < 0.001 for all). Conclusions Patients with diabetes are less likely to use dental services. Those who do are less likely to use preventive care and more likely to receive periodontal care and tooth-extractions. Future research should address the possible effectiveness of additional prevention in reducing subsequent severe oral disease in patients with diabetes. PMID:22776352

High intensity smoking cessation interventions: Cardiac patients of low socioeconomic status and low intention to quit profit most.

PubMed

Berndt, N; de Vries, H; Lechner, L; Van Acker, F; Froelicher, E S; Verheugt, F; Mudde, A; Bolman, C

2017-01-01

Without assistance, smokers being admitted to the hospital for coronary heart disease often return to regular smoking within a year. This study assessed the 12-month effectiveness of a telephone and a face-to-face counselling intervention on smoking abstinence among cardiac patients. Differential effects for subgroups varying in their socioeconomic status and intention to quit smoking were also studied. A randomised controlled trial was used. During hospital stay, smokers hospitalised for coronary heart disease were assigned to usual care (n = 245), telephone counselling (n = 223) or face-to-face counselling (n = 157). Eligible patients were allocated to an intervention counselling group and received nicotine patches. After 12 months, self-reported continued abstinence was assessed and biochemically verified in quitters. Effects on smoking abstinence were tested using multilevel logistic regression analyses applying the intention-to-treat approach. Compared with usual care, differential effects of telephone and face-to-face counselling on continued abstinence were found in patients with a low socioeconomic status and in patients with a low quit intention. For these patients, telephone counselling increased the likelihood of abstinence threefold (OR = 3.10, 95 % CI 1.32-7.31, p = 0.01), whereas face-to-face counselling increased this likelihood fivefold (OR = 5.30, 95 % CI 2.13-13.17, p < 0.001). Considering the total sample, the interventions did not result in stronger effects than usual care. Post-discharge telephone and face-to-face counselling interventions increased smoking abstinence rates at 12 months compared with usual care among cardiac patients of low socioeconomic status and low quit intentions. The present study indicates that patients of high socioeconomic status and high quit motivation require different cessation approaches.

Quantum Mechanics From the Cradle?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, John L.

1974-01-01

States that the major problem in learning quantum mechanics is often the student's ignorance of classical mechanics and that one conceptual hurdle in quantum mechanics is its statistical nature, in contrast to the determinism of classical mechanics. (MLH)

Socio-economic and cultural vulnerabilities to cervical cancer and challenges faced by patients attending care at Tikur Anbessa Hospital: a cross sectional and qualitative study.

PubMed

Tadesse, Sara Kebede

2015-09-16

Cervical cancer is a leading cause of death among women in Ethiopia, affecting them at a time of their life when they are critical to social and economic stability. This study was mainly focused on assessing different socioeconomic and cultural related factors that make women vulnerable to cervical cancer and challenges women face in the process of diagnosis and treatment. To achieve the objective of the study both qualitative and quantitative methods were utilized.198 participants were enrolled in a cross- sectional survey and 10 in-depth interviews were conducted with patients in Tikur Anbessa Hospital. A consecutive sampling method was used to select participants in the survey while purposive sampling was employed to select participants in the qualitative design. For the population covered in the study, poverty along with other socio-cultural practices such as early marriage, high parity and to certain extent polygamy were identified as factors that increased the vulnerability of women to cervical cancer. In addition, the study has uncovered several challenges faced by cervical cancer patients in the diagnosis and treatment process. Three types of challenges that include, health care based, psychological and economic were identified. System and practitioner delay were found as the main hurdles within the variable of health care related challenges. What's more, the psychological challenges identified included, fear of recurrence, negative social attitude and distress associated with the side effects from treatments such as fecal & urinary leakage. Furthermore, inability of bearing costs related to treatment and accommodation were cited as the main economic challenges. The study showed various socio-economic and cultural vulnerabilities that expose women to cervical cancer and the challenges encountered by cervical cancer patients after their diagnosis. Addressing this issue largely lies in strengthening primary and secondary preventive mechanisms, providing public education about safer sex practices, family planning and eliminating cultural practices such as early marriage and polygamy in connection to cervical cancer. Furthermore, improving the diagnostic and treatment procedures and facilities is also a crucial component that needs due emphasis in the fight against cervical cancer.

Continuous separation of multiple size microparticles using alternating current dielectrophoresis in microfluidic device with acupuncture needle electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tao, Ye; Ren, Yukun; Yan, Hui; Jiang, Hongyuan

2016-03-01

The need to continuously separate multiple microparticles is required for the recent development of lab-on-chip technology. Dielectrophoresis(DEP)-based separation device is extensively used in kinds of microfluidic applications. However, such conventional DEP-based device is relatively complicated and difficult for fabrication. A concise microfluidic device is presented for effective continuous separation of multiple size particle mixtures. A pair of acupuncture needle electrodes are creatively employed and embedded in a PDMS(poly-dimethylsiloxane) hurdle for generating non-uniform electric field thereby achieving a continuous DEP separation. The separation mechanism is that the incoming particle samples with different sizes experience different negative DEP(nDEP) forces and then they can be transported into different downstream outlets. The DEP characterizations of particles are calculated, and their trajectories are numerically predicted by considering the combined action of the incoming laminar flow and the nDEP force field for guiding the separation experiments. The device performance is verified by successfully separating a three-sized particle mixture, including polystyrene microspheres with diameters of 3 μm, 10 μm and 25 μm. The separation purity is below 70% when the flow rate ratio is less than 3.5 or more than 5.1, while the separation purity can be up to more than 90% when the flow rate ratio is between 3.5 and 5.1 and meanwhile ensure the voltage output falls in between 120 V and 150 V. Such simple DEP-based separation device has extensive applications in future microfluidic systems.

Key water issues now facing our nation

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hirsch, Robert M.; Miller, Timothy L.; Hamilton, Pixie A.; Gilliom, Robert J.

2008-01-01

Challenges to sustaining sufficient and high-quality water for human consumption, industry, farms, energy production, and ecosystem services continue to intensify in many parts of the Nation. We face four key water issues that call for support from the science and engineering communities.

Will a category cue attract you? Motor output reveals dynamic competition across person construal.

PubMed

Freeman, Jonathan B; Ambady, Nalini; Rule, Nicholas O; Johnson, Kerri L

2008-11-01

People use social categories to perceive others, extracting category cues to glean membership. Growing evidence for continuous dynamics in real-time cognition suggests, contrary to prevailing social psychological accounts, that person construal may involve dynamic competition between simultaneously active representations. To test this, the authors examined social categorization in real-time by streaming the x, y coordinates of hand movements as participants categorized typical and atypical faces by sex. Though judgments of atypical targets were largely accurate, online motor output exhibited a continuous spatial attraction toward the opposite sex category, indicating dynamic competition between multiple social category alternatives. The authors offer a dynamic continuity account of social categorization and provide converging evidence across categorizations of real male and female faces (containing a typical or an atypical sex-specifying cue) and categorizations of computer-generated male and female faces (with subtly morphed sex-typical or sex-atypical features). In 3 studies, online motor output revealed continuous dynamics underlying person construal, in which multiple simultaneously and partially active category representations gradually cascade into social categorical judgments. Such evidence is challenging for discrete stage-based accounts. (c) 2008 APA, all rights reserved

Wintering area DDE source to migratory white-faced ibis revealed by satellite telemetry and prey sampling.

PubMed

Yates, Michael A; Fuller, Mark R; Henny, Charles J; Seegar, William S; Garcia, Jaqueline

2010-01-01

Locations of contaminant exposure for nesting migratory species are difficult to fully understand because of possible additional sources encountered during migration or on the wintering grounds. A portion of the migratory white-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi) nesting at Carson Lake, Nevada continues to be exposed to dichloro-diphenyldichloro-ethylene (DDE) with no change, which is unusual, observed in egg concentrations between 1985 and 2000. About 45-63% of the earliest nesting segment shows reduced reproductive success correlated with elevated egg concentrations of >4 microg/g wet weight (ww). Local prey (primarily earthworms) near nests contained little DDE so we tracked the migration and wintering movements of 20 adult males during 2000-2004 to determine the possible source. At various wintering sites, we found a correlation (r (2) = 0.518, P = 0.0125, N = 11) between DDE in earthworm composites and DDE in blood plasma of white-faced ibis wintering there, although the plasma was collected on their breeding grounds soon after arrival. The main source of DDE was wintering areas in the Mexicali Valley of Baja California Norte, Mexico, and probably the adjacent Imperial Valley, California, USA. This unusual continuing DDE problem for white-faced ibis is associated with: the long-term persistence in soil of DDE; the earthworms' ability to bioconcentrate DDE from soil; the proclivity of white-faced ibis to feed on earthworms in agricultural fields; the species's extreme sensitivity to DDE in their eggs; and perhaps its life history strategy of being a "capital breeder". We suggest surveying and sampling white-faced ibis eggs at nesting colonies, especially at Carson Lake, to monitor the continuing influence of DDE.

Wintering area DDE source to migratory white-faced ibis revealed by satellite telemetry and prey sampling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yates, M.A.; Fuller, M.R.; Henny, C.J.; Seegar, W.S.; Garcia, Jorge H.

2010-01-01

Locations of contaminant exposure for nesting migratory species are difficult to fully understand because of possible additional sources encountered during migration or on the wintering grounds. A portion of the migratory white-faced ibis (Plegadis chihi) nesting at Carson Lake, Nevada continues to be exposed to dichloro-diphenyldichloro-ethylene (DDE) with no change, which is unusual, observed in egg concentrations between 1985 and 2000. About 45-63% of the earliest nesting segment shows reduced reproductive success correlated with elevated egg concentrations of >4 ??g/g wet weight (ww). Local prey (primarily earthworms) near nests contained little DDE so we tracked the migration and wintering movements of 20 adult males during 2000-2004 to determine the possible source. At various wintering sites, we found a correlation (r 2 = 0.518, P = 0.0125, N = 11) between DDE in earthworm composites and DDE in blood plasma of white-faced ibis wintering there, although the plasma was collected on their breeding grounds soon after arrival. The main source of DDE was wintering areas in the Mexicali Valley of Baja California Norte, Mexico, and probably the adjacent Imperial Valley, California, USA. This unusual continuing DDE problem for white-faced ibis is associated with: the long-term persistence in soil of DDE; the earthworms' ability to bioconcentrate DDE from soil; the proclivity of white-faced ibis to feed on earthworms in agricultural fields; the species's extreme sensitivity to DDE in their eggs; and perhaps its life history strategy of being a "capital breeder". We suggest surveying and sampling white-faced ibis eggs at nesting colonies, especially at Carson Lake, to monitor the continuing influence of DDE. ?? 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Age-related differences in brain electrical activity during extended continuous face recognition in younger children, older children and adults.

PubMed

Van Strien, Jan W; Glimmerveen, Johanna C; Franken, Ingmar H A; Martens, Vanessa E G; de Bruin, Eveline A

2011-09-01

To examine the development of recognition memory in primary-school children, 36 healthy younger children (8-9 years old) and 36 healthy older children (11-12 years old) participated in an ERP study with an extended continuous face recognition task (Study 1). Each face of a series of 30 faces was shown randomly six times interspersed with distracter faces. The children were required to make old vs. new decisions. Older children responded faster than younger children, but younger children exhibited a steeper decrease in latencies across the five repetitions. Older children exhibited better accuracy for new faces, but there were no age differences in recognition accuracy for repeated faces. For the N2, N400 and late positive complex (LPC), we analyzed the old/new effects (repetition 1 vs. new presentation) and the extended repetition effects (repetitions 1 through 5). Compared to older children, younger children exhibited larger frontocentral N2 and N400 old/new effects. For extended face repetitions, negativity of the N2 and N400 decreased in a linear fashion in both age groups. For the LPC, an ERP component thought to reflect recollection, no significant old/new or extended repetition effects were found. Employing the same face recognition paradigm in 20 adults (Study 2), we found a significant N400 old/new effect at lateral frontal sites and a significant LPC repetition effect at parietal sites, with LPC amplitudes increasing linearly with the number of repetitions. This study clearly demonstrates differential developmental courses for the N400 and LPC pertaining to recognition memory for faces. It is concluded that face recognition in children is mediated by early and probably more automatic than conscious recognition processes. In adults, the LPC extended repetition effect indicates that adult face recognition memory is related to a conscious and graded recollection process rather than to an automatic recognition process. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

School Supplies on a Budget

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyrli, Kurt O.

2008-01-01

This article reports on the challenge that parents, teachers, and district administrators face in continuing to provide essential school supplies to their students despite budget cuts. At the Verona Area (Wisconsin) School District, administrators, teachers, and parents have recently faced this common challenge. Increasingly dependent on funding…

Coordinated Transformation among Community Colleges Lacking a State System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, James Thad

2016-01-01

Community colleges face many challenges in the face of demands for increased student success. Institutions continually seek scalable interventions and initiatives focused on improving student achievement. Effectively implementing sustainable change that moves the needle of student success remains elusive. Facilitating systemic, scalable change…

OLED Lighting Products: Capabilities, Challenges, Potential

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miller, N. J.; Leon, F. A.

A report that focuses on the potential for architectural OLED lighting – describing currently available OLED products as well as promised improvements, and addressing the technology and market hurdles that have thus far prevented wider use of OLEDs.

Could Killing Bacterial Subpopulations Hit Tuberculosis out of the Park?

PubMed

Baranowski, Catherine; Rubin, Eric J

2016-07-14

One hurdle to treating tuberculosis could be that it is so difficult to kill nonreplicating subpopulations of the causative pathogens. This work describes two new cephalosporin derivatives that specifically target this population of Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Hurdles and delays in access to anti-cancer drugs in Europe

PubMed Central

Ades, F; Zardavas, D; Senterre, C; de Azambuja, E; Eniu, A; Popescu, R; Piccart, M; Parent, F

2014-01-01

Demographic changes in the world population will cause a significant increase in the number of new cases of cancer. To handle this challenge, societies will need to adapt how they approach cancer prevention and treatment, with changes to the development and uptake of innovative anticancer drugs playing an important role. However, there are obstacles to implementing innovative drugs in clinical practice. Prior to being incorporated into daily practice, the drug must obtain regulatory and reimbursement approval, succeed in changing the prescription habits of physicians, and ultimately gain the compliance of individual patients. Developing an anticancer drug and bringing it into clinical practice is, therefore, a lengthy and complex process involving multiple partners in several areas. To optimize patient treatment and increase the likelihood of implementing health innovation, it is essential to have an overview of the full process. This review aims to describe the process and discuss the hurdles arising at each step. PMID:25525460

Application of a hurdle negative binomial count data model to demand for bass fishing in the southeastern United States.

PubMed

Bilgic, Abdulbaki; Florkowski, Wojciech J

2007-06-01

This paper identifies factors that influence the demand for a bass fishing trip taken in the southeastern United States using a hurdle negative binomial count data model. The probability of fishing for a bass is estimated in the first stage and the fishing trip frequency is estimated in the second stage for individuals reporting bass fishing trips in the Southeast. The applied approach allows the decomposition of the effects of factors responsible for the decision to take a trip and the trip number. Calculated partial and total elasticities indicate a highly inelastic demand for the number of fishing trips as trip costs increase. However, the demand can be expected to increase if anglers experience a success measured by the number of caught fish or their size. Benefit estimates based on alternative estimation methods differ substantially, suggesting the need for testing each modeling approach applied in empirical studies.

Circle of healing: traditional storytelling, part three.

PubMed

Dolchok, Lisa

2003-01-01

Southcentral Foundation had to overcome several organizational and procedural hurdles when developing their Circle of Healing program. Among these hurdles was finding a way to credential Alaska Native healers so the Foundation could be reimbursed for their services and pay the healers, and so the healers could work in the hospital along with the staff delivering Western and alternative medical treatment. Southcentral Foundation chose to develop a process for certifying Alaska Native healers as tribal doctors. Rita Blumenstein is the first such person to be certified. Lisa Dolchok is the second. An important strength of Lisa’s presentation is that she helps us broaden our understanding of healing from an Alaska Native perspective. So often we equate healing with curing, and while it can have this dimension, Lisa reminds us there is much more to it. She echoes LouAnn Benson’s presentation in asserting that healing can address illness of the spirit or wounds to the soul.

Understanding direct neuronal reprogramming-from pioneer factors to 3D chromatin.

PubMed

Ninkovic, Jovica; Götz, Magdalena

2018-06-14

Cell replacement therapies aim at reestablishment of neuronal circuits after brain injury, stroke or neurodegeneration. Recently, direct reprogramming of resident glial cells into the affected neuronal subtypes has become a feasible and promising option for central nervous system regeneration. Direct reprogramming relies on the implementation of a new transcriptional program defining the desired neuronal identity in fully differentiated glial cells implying the more or less complete down-regulation of the program for the former identity of the glial cell. Despite the enormous progress achieved in this regard with highly efficient in vivo reprogramming after injury, a number of hurdles still need to be resolved. One way to further improve direct neuronal reprogramming is to understand the molecular hurdles which we discuss with the focus on chromatin states of the starting versus the reprogrammed cells. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Money or your life? The health-wealth trade-off in pharmaceutical regulation.

PubMed

Maynard, A; Cookson, R

2001-07-01

For decades the development of pharmaceuticals has been regulated by safety, efficacy and quality rules for product registration. In public health care systems, these three 'hurdles' are increasingly being supplemented by a fourth: the mandatory requirement to demonstrate economic efficiency in order to obtain reimbursement. This requirement challenges the wealth creation ethic of industry (money) with the population health ethic of public health and health economics (your life). Despite practical and methodological obstacles to the use of economic evidence in decisions, the logic of this development is evident: in order to maximise improvements in population health, scarce resources must be targeted towards developing and applying technologies that deliver the greatest health gains per unit cost. The impact of this policy change on industry practice and profits will be considerable, and companies that fail to demonstrate the economic efficiency of their products will stumble at the fourth hurdle.

Blanching and antimicrobial mixture (potassium sorbate-sodium benzoate) impact on the stability of a tamarillo (Cyphomandra betacea) sweet product preserved by hurdle technology.

PubMed

Preciado-Iñiga, Grace E; Amador-Espejo, Genaro G; Bárcenas, María E

2018-02-01

In a previous study, a stable tamarillo sweet product (TSP) was obtained by applying hurdle technology (low pH, reduction of water activity, sodium benzoate addition and stored at 4 °C, with oxygen and light protection). In order to improve the TSP shelf life, it was decided to employ a mixture of antimicrobial agents (sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate 50-50%) and fruit blanching. The phenolic compounds content, total monomeric anthocyanins of TSP, antioxidant capacity, microbial growth (aerobic mesophilic bacteria, molds and yeasts) and net color change were evaluated, during 63 days. The results showed that the use of blanched tamarillo and the addition of the antimicrobial mixture increased the TSP stability, in which the microbial counts were maintained below the limits established by the official food safety norms, without effects the antioxidant compounds and color.

Hurdles and delays in access to anti-cancer drugs in Europe.

PubMed

Ades, F; Zardavas, D; Senterre, C; de Azambuja, E; Eniu, A; Popescu, R; Piccart, M; Parent, F

2014-01-01

Demographic changes in the world population will cause a significant increase in the number of new cases of cancer. To handle this challenge, societies will need to adapt how they approach cancer prevention and treatment, with changes to the development and uptake of innovative anticancer drugs playing an important role. However, there are obstacles to implementing innovative drugs in clinical practice. Prior to being incorporated into daily practice, the drug must obtain regulatory and reimbursement approval, succeed in changing the prescription habits of physicians, and ultimately gain the compliance of individual patients. Developing an anticancer drug and bringing it into clinical practice is, therefore, a lengthy and complex process involving multiple partners in several areas. To optimize patient treatment and increase the likelihood of implementing health innovation, it is essential to have an overview of the full process. This review aims to describe the process and discuss the hurdles arising at each step.

Introduction to Intellectual Property: A U.S. Perspective.

PubMed

Murphy, Amanda; Stramiello, Michael; Lewis, Stacy; Irving, Tom

2015-03-27

This review introduces patents and trade secrets, the two mechanisms that U.S. law provides inventors to protect their inventions. These mechanisms are mutually exclusive: One demands disclosure and the other calls for concealment. Many biotechnology innovators opt for patents, which grant legal, time-limited monopolies to eligible inventions.To obtain a patent in the United States, an invention must be useful to the public and made or altered by the hand of man. It must then clear the hurdles of novelty and nonobviousness. If an invention can do that, obtaining a patent becomes a matter of form: Who qualifies as an inventor? Does the application demonstrate possession, stake a clear claim to the protection sought, and enable "ordinary" colleagues to replicate it? Has the inventor purposely withheld anything? This review addresses each of these hurdles as they apply to biotech inventions. Copyright © 2015 Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press; all rights reserved.

Introduction to Intellectual Property: A U.S. Perspective

PubMed Central

Murphy, Amanda; Stramiello, Michael; Lewis, Stacy; Irving, Tom

2015-01-01

This review introduces patents and trade secrets, the two mechanisms that U.S. law provides inventors to protect their inventions. These mechanisms are mutually exclusive: One demands disclosure and the other calls for concealment. Many biotechnology innovators opt for patents, which grant legal, time-limited monopolies to eligible inventions. To obtain a patent in the United States, an invention must be useful to the public and made or altered by the hand of man. It must then clear the hurdles of novelty and nonobviousness. If an invention can do that, obtaining a patent becomes a matter of form: Who qualifies as an inventor? Does the application demonstrate possession, stake a clear claim to the protection sought, and enable “ordinary” colleagues to replicate it? Has the inventor purposely withheld anything? This review addresses each of these hurdles as they apply to biotech inventions. PMID:25818665

Nano to micro delivery systems: targeting angiogenesis in brain tumors.

PubMed

Gilert, Ariel; Machluf, Marcelle

2010-10-08

Treating brain tumors using inhibitors of angiogenesis is extensively researched and tested in clinical trials. Although anti-angiogenic treatment holds a great potential for treating primary and secondary brain tumors, no clinical treatment is currently approved for brain tumor patients. One of the main hurdles in treating brain tumors is the blood brain barrier - a protective barrier of the brain, which prevents drugs from entering the brain parenchyma. As most therapeutics are excluded from the brain there is an urgent need to develop delivery platforms which will bypass such hurdles and enable the delivery of anti-angiogenic drugs into the tumor bed. Such delivery systems should be able to control release the drug or a combination of drugs at a therapeutic level for the desired time. In this mini-review we will discuss the latest improvements in nano and micro drug delivery platforms that were designed to deliver inhibitors of angiogenesis to the brain.

Nano to micro delivery systems: targeting angiogenesis in brain tumors

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Treating brain tumors using inhibitors of angiogenesis is extensively researched and tested in clinical trials. Although anti-angiogenic treatment holds a great potential for treating primary and secondary brain tumors, no clinical treatment is currently approved for brain tumor patients. One of the main hurdles in treating brain tumors is the blood brain barrier - a protective barrier of the brain, which prevents drugs from entering the brain parenchyma. As most therapeutics are excluded from the brain there is an urgent need to develop delivery platforms which will bypass such hurdles and enable the delivery of anti-angiogenic drugs into the tumor bed. Such delivery systems should be able to control release the drug or a combination of drugs at a therapeutic level for the desired time. In this mini-review we will discuss the latest improvements in nano and micro drug delivery platforms that were designed to deliver inhibitors of angiogenesis to the brain. PMID:20932320

Feasibility and attractiveness of indication value-based pricing in key EU countries.

PubMed

Flume, Mathias; Bardou, Marc; Capri, Stefano; Sola-Morales, Oriol; Cunningham, David; Levin, Lars-Ake; Touchot, Nicolas

2016-01-01

Indication value-based pricing (IBP) has been proposed in the United States as a tool to capture the differential value of drugs across indications or patient groups and is in the early phases of implementation. In Europe, no major country has experimented with IBP or is seriously discussing its use. We assessed how the reimbursement and pricing environment allows for IBP in seven European countries, evaluating both incentives and hurdles. In price setting countries such as France and Germany, the Health Technology Assessment and pricing process already accounts for differences of value across indications. In countries where differential value drives coverage decisions such as the United Kingdom and Sweden, IBP is likely to be used, at least partially, but not in the short-term. Italy is already achieving some form of differential value through managed entry agreements, whereas in Spain the electronic prescription system provides the infrastructure necessary for IBP but other hurdles exist.

Built-up outer wall and roofing sections for double walled envelope homes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brodhead, B.

1980-01-01

A site built system that uses the inner envelope wall is described. Blocking and vertical nailers are attached to this wall and sheathed with foil faced drywall to create the envelope cavity. An outer layer of 3 1/2 in. of Expended Poly Styrene provides continuous solid insulation. The trusses are also sheathed in foil faced drywall and insulated with 5 1/2 in. of E.P.S. This effectively surrounds the building with a continuous vapor and infiltration barrier. Construction details as well as cost breakdowns are presented.

Deep sequencing analysis of viral infection and evolution allows rapid and detailed characterization of viral mutant spectrum.

PubMed

Isakov, Ofer; Bordería, Antonio V; Golan, David; Hamenahem, Amir; Celniker, Gershon; Yoffe, Liron; Blanc, Hervé; Vignuzzi, Marco; Shomron, Noam

2015-07-01

The study of RNA virus populations is a challenging task. Each population of RNA virus is composed of a collection of different, yet related genomes often referred to as mutant spectra or quasispecies. Virologists using deep sequencing technologies face major obstacles when studying virus population dynamics, both experimentally and in natural settings due to the relatively high error rates of these technologies and the lack of high performance pipelines. In order to overcome these hurdles we developed a computational pipeline, termed ViVan (Viral Variance Analysis). ViVan is a complete pipeline facilitating the identification, characterization and comparison of sequence variance in deep sequenced virus populations. Applying ViVan on deep sequenced data obtained from samples that were previously characterized by more classical approaches, we uncovered novel and potentially crucial aspects of virus populations. With our experimental work, we illustrate how ViVan can be used for studies ranging from the more practical, detection of resistant mutations and effects of antiviral treatments, to the more theoretical temporal characterization of the population in evolutionary studies. Freely available on the web at http://www.vivanbioinfo.org : nshomron@post.tau.ac.il Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, M.F.; Grant, C.W.; King, N.

Some Asian countries such as Myanmar, Vietnam, and Indonesia are still at very low electricity consumption rates per capita, while others, such as Malaysia and Taiwan, are at much higher rates. What all Asian countries have in common is rapid growth in the demand for electricity. If the rising demand for additional electricity is not met, economic growth will be curtailed. However, all Asian countries face a major challenge in funding and constructing the required additional generating capacity fast enough to meet demand. Finding this amount of new capital is not going to be easy, and there will be muchmore » competition for scarce funds. The environmental challenge may be even greater than the financing hurdle. To date, most generation capacity in Asia has been coal based, and a significant amount of that is low technology and without flue gas desulfurization. The effect on the environment is already apparent. One argument has been that developing countries cannot afford the same standards of environmental performance as developed countries. With the levels of pollution that exist today, the question should be, can they afford not to? It has been estimated that pollution in China costs US$100 billion/a and that US$20 billion has to be spent over the next decade just to prevent worsening of pollution.« less

An ancient revisits cosmology.

PubMed Central

Greenstein, J L

1993-01-01

In this after-dinner speech, a somewhat light-hearted attempt is made to view the observational side of physical cosmology as a subdiscipline of astrophysics, still in an early stage of sophistication and in need of more theoretical understanding. The theoretical side of cosmology, in contrast, has its deep base in general relativity. A major result of observational cosmology is that an expansion of the Universe arose from a singularity some 15 billion years ago. This has had an enormous impact on the public's view of both astronomy and theology. It places on cosmologists an extra responsibility for clear thinking and interpretation. Recently, gravitational physics caused another crisis from an unexpected observational result that nonbaryonic matter appears to dominate. Will obtaining information about this massive nonbaryonic component require that astronomers cease to rely on measurement of photons? But 40 years ago after radio astronomical techniques uncovered the high-energy universe, we happily introduced new subfields, with techniques from physics and engineering still tied to photon detection. Another historical example shows how a subfield of cosmology, big bang nucleosynthesis, grew in complexity from its spectroscopic astrophysics beginning 40 years ago. Determination of primordial abundances of lighter nuclei does illuminate conditions in the Big Bang, but the observational results faced and overcame many hurdles on the way. PMID:11607403

Prospects for Nonlinear Laser Diagnostics in the Jet Noise Laboratory

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herring, Gregory C.; Hart, Roger C.; Fletcher, mark T.; Balla, R. Jeffrey; Henderson, Brenda S.

2007-01-01

Two experiments were conducted to test whether optical methods, which rely on laser beam coherence, would be viable for off-body flow measurement in high-density, compressible-flow wind tunnels. These tests measured the effects of large, unsteady density gradients on laser diagnostics like laser-induced thermal acoustics (LITA). The first test was performed in the Low Speed Aeroacoustics Wind Tunnel (LSAWT) of NASA Langley Research Center's Jet Noise Laboratory (JNL). This flow facility consists of a dual-stream jet engine simulator (with electric heat and propane burners) exhausting into a simulated flight stream, reaching Mach numbers up to 0.32. A laser beam transited the LSAWT flow field and was imaged with a high-speed gated camera to measure beam steering and transverse mode distortion. A second, independent test was performed on a smaller laboratory jet (Mach number < 1.2 and mass flow rate < 0.1 kg/sec). In this test, time-averaged LITA velocimetry and thermometry were performed at the jet exit plane, where the effect of unsteady density gradients is observed on the LITA signal. Both experiments show that LITA (and other diagnostics relying on beam overlap or coherence) faces significant hurdles in the high-density, compressible, and turbulent flow environments similar to those of the JNL.

Minority stress is longitudinally associated with alcohol-related problems among sexual minority women.

PubMed

Wilson, Sarah M; Gilmore, Amanda K; Rhew, Isaac C; Hodge, Kimberley A; Kaysen, Debra L

2016-10-01

Compared to sexual minority men and heterosexual women, sexual minority women report elevated alcohol use in young adulthood. Heavy alcohol use and alcohol use disorders disproportionately affect sexual minority women across the lifespan, yet there is limited research investigating reasons for such associations. The present study investigates longitudinal associations between minority stress and both alcohol use as well as self-rated drinking consequences. Participants (N=1057) were self-identified lesbian (40.5%) and bisexual (59.5%) women between the ages of 18 to 25 recruited from across the U.S. using online advertisements. Participants completed four annual surveys. Hurdle mixed effects models were used to assess associations between minority stress and typical weekly drinking and drinking consequences one year later. Minority stress was not significantly associated with subsequent typical drinking. However, minority stress was significantly associated with having any alcohol consequences as well as the count of alcohol consequences one year later after controlling for covariates. Consistent with extant literature, this study provides evidence for a prospective association between minority stress experienced by sexual minority women and drinking consequences. This study also provides support for the potential impact of efforts to reduce minority stress faced by sexual minority women. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Finding medical care for colorectal cancer symptoms: experiences among those facing financial barriers.

PubMed

Thomson, Maria D; Siminoff, Laura A

2015-02-01

Financial barriers can substantially delay medical care seeking. Using patient narratives provided by 252 colorectal cancer patients, we explored the experience of financial barriers to care seeking. Of the 252 patients interviewed, 84 identified financial barriers as a significant hurdle to obtaining health care for their colorectal cancer symptoms. Using verbatim transcripts of the narratives collected from patients between 2008 and 2010, three themes were identified: insurance status as a barrier (discussed by n = 84; 100% of subsample), finding medical care (discussed by n = 30; 36% of subsample) and, insurance companies as barriers (discussed by n = 7; 8% of subsample). Our analysis revealed that insurance status is more nuanced than the categories insured/uninsured and differentially affects how patients attempt to secure health care. While barriers to medical care for the uninsured have been well documented, the experiences of those who are underinsured are less well understood. To improve outcomes in these patients it is critical to understand how financial barriers to medical care are manifested. Even with anticipated changes of the Affordable Care Act, it remains important to understand how perceived financial barriers may be influencing patient behaviors, particularly those who have limited health care options due to insufficient health insurance coverage. © 2014 Society for Public Health Education.

Some current applications, limitations and future perspectives of lactic acid bacteria as probiotics

PubMed Central

Evivie, Smith Etareri; Huo, Gui-Cheng; Igene, John Oamen; Bian, Xin

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Several mechanism and non-mechanism-based studies supporting the claim that lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains confer health benefits and play immune-modulatory roles were examined in this review. Probiotic applications of LAB on global burdens such as obesity and type-2 diabetes were discussed as well as the use of yoghurt and ice cream as important vehicles to convey several beneficial LAB strains. Probiotic and symbiotic dairy products may be used in the nearest future to treat a variety of health disorders. Current studies suggest that lactic acid bacteria possess anti-obesity and anti-diabetic propensities on their hosts and thus can play a crucial role in human health care. Research in the rheological and physicochemical properties of ice cream as well as its applications are also on the increase. These applications face certain hurdles including technological (for less developed countries), consumer acceptability of new functional foods may be influenced by culture, ethics or religion. There is need for more studies on the genetic basis for probiotic properties which will give further understanding regarding novel manipulation skills and applicability in nutrition and health sectors. More studies confirming the direct effects of probiotic LABs in lowering the spread of food-borne and other pathogens are also anticipated. PMID:28659729

An Ancient Revisits Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenstein, Jesse L.

1993-06-01

In this after-dinner speech, a somewhat light-hearted attempt is made to view the observational side of physical cosmology as a subdiscipline of astrophysics, still in an early stage of sophistication and in need of more theoretical understanding. The theoretical side of cosmology, in contrast, has its deep base in general relativity. A major result of observational cosmology is that an expansion of the Universe arose from a singularity some 15 billion years ago. This has had an enormous impact on the public's view of both astronomy and theology. It places on cosmologists an extra responsibility for clear thinking and interpretation. Recently, gravitational physics caused another crisis from an unexpected observational result that nonbaryonic matter appears to dominate. Will obtaining information about this massive nonbaryonic component require that astronomers cease to rely on measurement of photons? But 40 years ago after radio astronomical techniques uncovered the high-energy universe, we happily introduced new subfields, with techniques from physics and engineering still tied to photon detection. Another historical example shows how a subfield of cosmology, big bang nucleosynthesis, grew in complexity from its spectroscopic astrophysics beginning 40 years ago. Determination of primordial abundances of lighter nuclei does illuminate conditions in the Big Bang, but the observational results faced and overcame many hurdles on the way.

Oral insulin delivery: existing barriers and current counter-strategies.

PubMed

Gedawy, Ahmed; Martinez, Jorge; Al-Salami, Hani; Dass, Crispin R

2018-02-01

The chronic and progressive nature of diabetes is usually associated with micro- and macrovascular complications where failure of pancreatic β-cell function and a general condition of hyperglycaemia is created. One possible factor is failure of the patient to comply with and adhere to the prescribed insulin due to the inconvenient administration route. This review summarizes the rationale for oral insulin administration, existing barriers and some counter-strategies trialled. Oral insulin mimics the physiology of endogenous insulin secreted by pancreas. Following the intestinal absorption of oral insulin, it reaches the liver at high concentration via the portal vein. Oral insulin on the other hand has the potential to protect pancreatic β-cells from autoimmune destruction. Structural modification, targeting a particular tissue/receptor, and the use of innovative pharmaceutical formulations such as nanoparticles represent strategies introduced to improve oral insulin bioavailability. They showed promising results in overcoming the hurdles facing oral insulin delivery, although delivery is far from ideal. The use of advanced pharmaceutical technologies and further research in particulate carrier system delivery predominantly nanoparticle utilization would offer useful tools in delivering insulin via the oral route which in turn would potentially improve diabetic patient compliance to insulin and the overall management of diabetes. © 2017 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Brazil’s Market for Trading Forest Certificates

PubMed Central

Soares-Filho, Britaldo; Rajão, Raoni; Merry, Frank; Rodrigues, Hermann; Davis, Juliana; Lima, Letícia; Macedo, Marcia; Coe, Michael; Carneiro, Arnaldo; Santiago, Leonardo

2016-01-01

Brazil faces an enormous challenge to implement its revised Forest Code. Despite big losses for the environment, the law introduces new mechanisms to facilitate compliance and foster payment for ecosystem services (PES). The most promising of these is a market for trading forest certificates (CRAs) that allows landowners to offset their restoration obligations by paying for maintaining native vegetation elsewhere. We analyzed the economic potential for the emerging CRA market in Brazil and its implications for PES programs. Results indicate a potential market for trading 4.2 Mha of CRAs with a gross value of US$ 9.2±2.4 billion, with main regional markets forming in the states of Mato Grosso and São Paulo. This would be the largest market for trading forests in the world. Overall, the potential supply of CRAs in Brazilian states exceeds demand, creating an opportunity for additional PES programs to use the CRA market. This expanded market could provide not only monetary incentives to conserve native vegetation, but also environmental co-benefits by fostering PES programs focused on biodiversity, water conservation, and climate regulation. Effective implementation of the Forest Code will be vital to the success of this market and this hurdle brings uncertainty into the market. Long-term commitment, both within Brazil and abroad, will be essential to overcome the many challenges ahead. PMID:27050309

Brazil's Market for Trading Forest Certificates.

PubMed

Soares-Filho, Britaldo; Rajão, Raoni; Merry, Frank; Rodrigues, Hermann; Davis, Juliana; Lima, Letícia; Macedo, Marcia; Coe, Michael; Carneiro, Arnaldo; Santiago, Leonardo

2016-01-01

Brazil faces an enormous challenge to implement its revised Forest Code. Despite big losses for the environment, the law introduces new mechanisms to facilitate compliance and foster payment for ecosystem services (PES). The most promising of these is a market for trading forest certificates (CRAs) that allows landowners to offset their restoration obligations by paying for maintaining native vegetation elsewhere. We analyzed the economic potential for the emerging CRA market in Brazil and its implications for PES programs. Results indicate a potential market for trading 4.2 Mha of CRAs with a gross value of US$ 9.2±2.4 billion, with main regional markets forming in the states of Mato Grosso and São Paulo. This would be the largest market for trading forests in the world. Overall, the potential supply of CRAs in Brazilian states exceeds demand, creating an opportunity for additional PES programs to use the CRA market. This expanded market could provide not only monetary incentives to conserve native vegetation, but also environmental co-benefits by fostering PES programs focused on biodiversity, water conservation, and climate regulation. Effective implementation of the Forest Code will be vital to the success of this market and this hurdle brings uncertainty into the market. Long-term commitment, both within Brazil and abroad, will be essential to overcome the many challenges ahead.

Strategies for target identification of antimicrobial natural products.

PubMed

Farha, Maya A; Brown, Eric D

2016-05-04

Covering: 2000 to 2015Despite a pervasive decline in natural product research at many pharmaceutical companies over the last two decades, natural products have undeniably been a prolific and unsurpassed source for new lead antibacterial compounds. Due to their inherent complexity, natural extracts face several hurdles in high-throughout discovery programs, including target identification. Target identification and validation is a crucial process for advancing hits through the discovery pipeline, but has remained a major bottleneck. In the case of natural products, extremely low yields and limited compound supply further impede the process. Here, we review the wealth of target identification strategies that have been proposed and implemented for the characterization of novel antibacterials. Traditionally, these have included genomic and biochemical-based approaches, which, in recent years, have been improved with modern-day technology and better honed for natural product discovery. Further, we discuss the more recent innovative approaches for uncovering the target of new antibacterial natural products, which have resulted from modern advances in chemical biology tools. Finally, we present unique screening platforms implemented to streamline the process of target identification. The different innovative methods to respond to the challenge of characterizing the mode of action for antibacterial natural products have cumulatively built useful frameworks that may advocate a renovated interest in natural product drug discovery programs.

Proceedings of the Inaugural Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance (PeDRA) Conference

PubMed Central

Siegel, Dawn H.; Choate, Keith; Drolet, Beth A.; Frieden, Ilona J.; Teng, Joyce M.; Tom, Wynnis; Williams, Mary; Eichenfield, Lawrence F.; Paller, Amy S.

2014-01-01

Abstract/Statement of the problem Skin disease research involving children currently faces several major hurdles and as a result, many therapies are only available for off-label use in children and many of the most pressing clinical needs of our pediatric population remain unsolved. A strategic planning committee of the Society for Pediatric Dermatology (SPD) identified the need for an organized, inclusive research alliance to augment the resources of individual practitioners and pre-existing smaller collaborative groups and facilitate robust, multicenter basic, translational, and clinical research and therapeutic trials. A December 2011 National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) Roundtable on Pediatric Dermatology further detailed the therapeutic gaps and barriers to translation of scientific advances to clinical practice. Building on these forums, in July 2012, a group of interested investigators met in Monterey, CA to develop the infrastructure for collaborative pediatric skin research, now called the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance (PeDRA). The vision of PeDRA is to create sustainable collaborative research networks to better understand, prevent, treat and cure dermatologic diseases in children. From that starting point, subcommittees and expert members were added, stakeholders identified, and seed funding garnered, with the first PeDRA stand-alone research meeting* realized in Chicago, IL in October 2013. PMID:25318428

How did the platypus get its sex chromosome chain? A comparison of meiotic multiples and sex chromosomes in plants and animals.

PubMed

Gruetzner, Frank; Ashley, Terry; Rowell, David M; Marshall Graves, Jennifer A

2006-04-01

The duck-billed platypus is an extraordinary mammal. Its chromosome complement is no less extraordinary, for it includes a system in which ten sex chromosomes form an extensive meiotic chain in males. Such meiotic multiples are unprecedented in vertebrates but occur sporadically in plant and invertebrate species. In this paper, we review the evolution and formation of meiotic multiples in plants and invertebrates to try to gain insights into the origin of the platypus meiotic multiple. We describe the meiotic hurdles that translocated mammalian chromosomes face, which make longer chains disadvantageous in mammals, and we discuss how sex chromosomes and dosage compensation might have affected the evolution of sex-linked meiotic multiples. We conclude that the evolutionary conservation of the chain in monotremes, the structural properties of the translocated chromosomes and the highly accurate segregation at meiosis make the platypus system remarkably different from meiotic multiples in other species. We discuss alternative evolutionary models, which fall broadly into two categories: either the chain is the result of a sequence of translocation events from an ancestral pair of sex chromosomes (Model I) or the entire chain came into being at once by hybridization of two populations with different chromosomal rearrangements sharing monobrachial homology (Model II).

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) based advanced dermal therapeutics: current trends and future potential.

PubMed

Kuche, Kaushik; Maheshwari, Rahul; Tambe, Vishakha; Mak, Kit-Kay; Jogi, Hardi; Raval, Nidhi; Pichika, Mallikarjuna Rao; Kumar Tekade, Rakesh

2018-05-17

The search for effective and non-invasive delivery modules to transport therapeutic molecules across skin has led to the discovery of a number of nanocarriers (viz.: liposomes, ethosomes, dendrimers, etc.) in the last few decades. However, available literature suggests that these delivery modules face several issues including poor stability, low encapsulation efficiency, and scale-up hurdles. Recently, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) emerged as a versatile tool to deliver therapeutics across skin. Superior stability, high loading capacity, well-developed synthesis protocol as well as ease of scale-up are some of the reason for growing interest in CNTs. CNTs have a unique physical architecture and a large surface area with unique surface chemistry that can be tailored for vivid biomedical applications. CNTs have been thus largely engaged in the development of transdermal systems such as tuneable hydrogels, programmable nonporous membranes, electroresponsive skin modalities, protein channel mimetic platforms, reverse iontophoresis, microneedles, and dermal buckypapers. In addition, CNTs were also employed in the development of RNA interference (RNAi) based therapeutics for correcting defective dermal genes. This review expounds the state-of-art synthesis methodologies, skin penetration mechanism, drug liberation profile, loading potential, characterization techniques, and transdermal applications along with a summary on patent/regulatory status and future scope of CNT based skin therapeutics.

Integrated, Multidisciplinary and Technology-Enhanced Science Education: The Next Frontier

PubMed Central

Dinov, Ivo D.

2011-01-01

Contemporary science education at all levels presents several critical pedagogical and social challenges to educators and learners alike. Among these challenges are the widening Intergenerational Information Technology (IIT) divide and the need for a comprehensive and balanced multidisciplinary training. In the past few years, it has become clear that one significant hurdle impedes the efforts to integrate information technology in the classroom – the Intergenerational IT divide. The IIT gap reflects a different growing misalignment between providers and recipients of the science and technology educational content in terms of the expected vs. supplied, needed vs. perceived and contextual vs. abstract specialized learning. The common K-12 teacher or college instructor is much less familiar with, and slower to adapt to, the new ether of communication and novel IT resources. The transfer and blending of data, research challenges and methodologies between diverse areas of science is also critical in motivating wider spectra of students, demonstrating cross-disciplinary methodological concepts and synergies, as well as for engaging students in research projects. This article discusses the problems faced by modern science educators and suggests some methods and vision for coping with the increasing IIT divide and the social need to train “complete” and broadly educated citizens. PMID:21552453

Regulatory and cost barriers are likely to limit biosimilar development and expected savings in the near future.

PubMed

Grabowski, Henry G; Guha, Rahul; Salgado, Maria

2014-06-01

In March 2010 Congress established an abbreviated Food and Drug Administration approval pathway for biosimilars-drugs that are very similar but not identical to a reference biological product and cost less. Because bringing biosimilars to the market currently requires large investments of money, fewer biosimilars are expected to enter the biologics market than has been the case with generic drugs entering the small-molecule drug market. Additionally, given the high regulatory hurdles to obtaining interchangeability-which would allow pharmacists to substitute a biosimilar for its reference product, subject to evolving state substitution laws-most biosimilars will likely compete as therapeutic alternatives instead of as therapeutic equivalents. In other words, biosimilars will need to compete with their reference product on the basis of quality; price; and manufacturer's reputation with physicians, insurers, and patient groups. Biosimilars also will face dynamic competition from new biologics in the same therapeutic class-including "biobetters," which offer incremental improvements on reference products, such as extended duration of action. The prospects for significant cost savings from the use of biosimilars appear to be limited for the next several years, but their use should increase over time because of both demand- and supply-side factors. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Valbenazine granted breakthrough drug status for treating tardive dyskinesia.

PubMed

Müller, Thomas

2015-06-01

The chronic use and high dosing of typical neuroleptics or centrally acting dopamine receptor blocking antiemetics predispose patients to the onset of tardive syndromes. One particular subtype, tardive dyskinesia, is characterized by rapid, repetitive, stereotypic, involuntary movements of the face, limbs or trunk. The inhibition of the vesicular monoamine transporter system, using tetrabenazine therapy, improves the severity of tardive dyskinesia. But there are also drawbacks to tetrabenazine treatment, such as a fluctuating response and the need for frequent intake due to its rapid metabolism. Clinical research on the potentially more efficacious and easier to use tetrabenazine analogs is already under way. One of them is valbenazine, the purified parent drug of the (+)-α-isomer of tetrabenazine. The FDA lowered approval hurdles for valbenazine due to a successful Phase II trial, which showed a distinctive improvement in tardive dyskinesia symptoms during valbenazine administration. This resurgence in the clinical research of tardive syndrome therapy is most welcome. This author notes that the putative long-term side effects of valbenazine should carefully be investigated in the future via naturalistic observational trials. Furthermore, valbenazine may also support the onset of symptoms, such as Parkinsonism and depression, with chronic administration, as it, to a certain extent, shares the mode of action of tetrabenazine.

Relationship between catastrophic health expenditures and household incomes and expenditure patterns in South Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Younhee; Yang, Bongmin

2011-05-01

The compositions of health expenditures by households in South Korea with and without catastrophic health expenditures were compared. Also, relationships between catastrophic health expenditures and household incomes, and between such health expenditures and expenditure patterns were explored. Data from the 2006 South Korean Household Income & Expenditure Survey, a representative survey of 90,696 households were analyzed. We used a double-hurdle model to assess each income source and expenditure category. The independent variable was the presence of catastrophic health expenditure. After adjusting for household characteristics, the results showed that earned, business, and property incomes were significantly lower, but transfer and loan incomes were significantly higher in households with catastrophic health expenditures than in those without such health expenditures. All consumption categories, other than health expenditure, were significantly lower in households with catastrophic health expenditures than in those without catastrophic health expenditures. This suggests that households with catastrophic health expenditures faced challenges in offset by the potentially excessive health expenditure and may have been obliged to reduce consumption of other items. The expansion of insurance coverage and lowering of out-of-pocket rates in the South Korean Health Insurance benefits could be a necessary first step in protecting households from the occurrence of health related economic catastrophes. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A self-consistent global emissions inventory spanning 1850 ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

While emissions inventory development has advanced significantly in recent years, the scientific community still lacks a global inventory utilizing consistent estimation approaches spanning multiple centuries. In this analysis, we investigate the strengths and weaknesses of current approaches to effectively address inventory development over not just a global spatial scale but also a timescale spanning two centuries – from early industrialization into the near future. We discuss the need within the scientific community for a dataset such as this and the landscape of questions it would allow the scientific community to address. In particular, we focus on questions that the scientific community cannot adequately address using the currently available techniques and information.We primarily focus on the difficulties and potential obstacles associated with developing an inventory of this scope and magnitude. We discuss many of the hurdles that the field has already overcome and also highlight the challenges that researchers in the field still face. We detail the complexities related to the extent of spatial and temporal scales required for an undertaking of this magnitude. In addition, we point to areas where the community currently lacks the necessary data to move forward. Our analysis focuses on one direction in which the development of global emissions inventories is heading rather than an in-depth analysis of the path of emissions inventory development

Navigating through orphan medicinal product regulations in EU and US--similarities and differences.

PubMed

Tiwari, Jyoti

2015-02-01

Rare diseases as the name suggests are the diseases which occur in a very small population due to which the development of medicinal products for these diseases is sidelined as it is anticipated that the cost of development will never be recovered from the sales. It has been estimated by National Institute of Health (NIH) that globally around 7000 rare diseases are there, many of which are of genetic origin. This paper aims to analyze the basic similarities and differences between the rules and regulations put forth by regulatory agencies of US and EU for development of medicinal products for rare diseases, also called orphan medicinal products. The basic purpose was to carve out the loopholes as well as positive aspects of each of these acts and regulations so as to have a clear understanding on the subject. It was to understand that how these legal instruments have stimulated the growth of the drug products for rare diseases and what other things can be done in order to achieve a better impact. This article also provides an overview of the various incentives offered as well as challenges and hurdles faced by each of these regulatory agencies while implementing these regulations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

30 CFR 75.342 - Methane monitors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Methane monitors. 75.342 Section 75.342 Mineral... SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Ventilation § 75.342 Methane monitors. (a)(1) MSHA approved methane monitors shall be installed on all face cutting machines, continuous miners, longwall face...

45 CFR 1638.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Definitions. 1638.2 Section 1638.2 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION RESTRICTION ON SOLICITATION § 1638.2 Definitions. (a) In-person means a face-to-face encounter or a personal encounter via other...

45 CFR 1638.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Definitions. 1638.2 Section 1638.2 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION RESTRICTION ON SOLICITATION § 1638.2 Definitions. (a) In-person means a face-to-face encounter or a personal encounter via other...

45 CFR 1638.2 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Definitions. 1638.2 Section 1638.2 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) LEGAL SERVICES CORPORATION RESTRICTION ON SOLICITATION § 1638.2 Definitions. (a) In-person means a face-to-face encounter or a personal encounter via other...

Understanding and Unlocking the Potential of Online Academic Advising

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flowers, Jefferson Lee

2012-01-01

Student support services, such as academic advising, promote college student retention and increased graduation rates. As educational institutions continue to face budgetary uncertainties, academic advising services are facing cuts that threaten their ability to provide student support. Online solutions are being advanced at many institutions, as…

Exploring Biotechnology Using Case-Based Multimedia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergland, Mark; Lundeberg, Mary; Klyczek, Karen; Sweet, Jennifer; Emmons, Jean; Martin, Christine; Marsh, Katherine; Werner, Joy; Jarvis-Uetz, Michelle

2006-01-01

Today, teachers face more challenges than ever, and biology teachers face a special challenge. As technology continues to expand, biology teachers have a responsibility to keep students informed of technological and scientific advances. Biology teachers must also address ethical issues associated with these advances. In this paper, the authors…

30 CFR 75.342 - Methane monitors.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Methane monitors. 75.342 Section 75.342 Mineral... SAFETY STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND COAL MINES Ventilation § 75.342 Methane monitors. (a)(1) MSHA approved methane monitors shall be installed on all face cutting machines, continuous miners, longwall face...

New diagnostics for latent and active tuberculosis: state of the art and future prospects.

PubMed

Pai, Madhukar; O'Brien, Richard

2008-10-01

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be the world's most important infectious cause of morbidity and mortality among adults. Nearly 9 million people develop TB disease each year, and an estimated 1.6 million die from the disease. Despite this enormous global burden, case detection rates are low, posing serious hurdles for TB control. Conventional TB diagnosis continues to rely on antiquated tests such as sputum smear microscopy, culture, tuberculin skin test, and chest radiography. These tests have several limitations and perform poorly in populations affected by the HIV epidemic. Conventional tests for detection of drug resistance are time consuming, tedious, and inaccessible in most settings. In this review, we describe recent advances in the diagnosis of latent and active TB, and detection of drug resistance. Although the perfect test will not be ready for large-scale roll-out and integration into routine TB care services for some time, substantial progress has been made in expanding the TB diagnostic product pipeline. With the resurgence of interest in the development of new tools for TB control, and the recent influx of funding and political support, it is likely that the next few years will see the introduction of new diagnostic tools into routine TB control programs.

Some findings on zero-inflated and hurdle poisson models for disease mapping.

PubMed

Corpas-Burgos, Francisca; García-Donato, Gonzalo; Martinez-Beneito, Miguel A

2018-05-27

Zero excess in the study of geographically referenced mortality data sets has been the focus of considerable attention in the literature, with zero-inflation being the most common procedure to handle this lack of fit. Although hurdle models have also been used in disease mapping studies, their use is more rare. We show in this paper that models using particular treatments of zero excesses are often required for achieving appropriate fits in regular mortality studies since, otherwise, geographical units with low expected counts are oversmoothed. However, as also shown, an indiscriminate treatment of zero excess may be unnecessary and has a problematic implementation. In this regard, we find that naive zero-inflation and hurdle models, without an explicit modeling of the probabilities of zeroes, do not fix zero excesses problems well enough and are clearly unsatisfactory. Results sharply suggest the need for an explicit modeling of the probabilities that should vary across areal units. Unfortunately, these more flexible modeling strategies can easily lead to improper posterior distributions as we prove in several theoretical results. Those procedures have been repeatedly used in the disease mapping literature, and one should bear these issues in mind in order to propose valid models. We finally propose several valid modeling alternatives according to the results mentioned that are suitable for fitting zero excesses. We show that those proposals fix zero excesses problems and correct the mentioned oversmoothing of risks in low populated units depicting geographic patterns more suited to the data. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Designing and conducting a randomized trial for pandemic critical illness: the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic.

PubMed

Annane, Djillali; Antona, Marion; Lehmann, Blandine; Kedzia, Cecile; Chevret, Sylvie

2012-01-01

To analyze the hurdles in implementing a randomized trial of corticosteroids for severe 2009 H1N1 influenza infections. This was an investigator-led, multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial of corticosteroids in ICU patients with 2009 H1N1 influenza pneumonia requiring mechanical ventilation. The feasibility of and hurdles in designing and initiating a phase III trial in a short-lived pandemic crisis were analyzed. The regulatory agency and ethics committee approved the study's scientific, financial, and ethical aspects within 4 weeks. Hydrocortisone and placebo were prepared centrally and shipped to participating hospitals within 6 weeks. The inclusion period started on November 9, 2009. From August 1, 2009 to March 8, 2010, only 205/224 ICU patients with H1N1 infections required mechanical ventilation. The peak of the wave was missed by 2-3 weeks and only 26 patients were randomized. The two main reasons for non-inclusion were patients' admission before the beginning of the trial and ICU personnel overwhelmed by clinical duties. Parallel rather than sequential regulatory and ethics approval, and preparation and masking of study drugs by local pharmacists would have allowed the study to start 1 month earlier and before the peak of the "flu" wave. A dedicated research team in each participating center would have increased the ratio of screened to randomized patients. This report highlights the main hurdles in implementing a randomized trial for a pandemic critical illness and proposes solutions for future trials.

Hydromechanical Advanced Coal Excavator

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estus, Jay M.; Summers, David

1990-01-01

Water-jet cutting reduces coal dust and its hazards. Advanced mining system utilizes full-face, hydromechanical, continuous miner. Coal excavator uses high-pressure water-jet lances, one in each of cutting heads and one in movable lance, to make cuts across top, bottom and middle height, respectively, of coal face. Wedge-shaped cutting heads advance into lower and upper cuts in turn, thereby breaking coal toward middle cut. Thrust cylinders and walking pads advance excavator toward coal face.

An Architectural Model of Visual Motion Understanding

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-08-01

of the Center for Visual Sciences of the University of Rochester. Their courage in the face of the overwhelming com- plexity of the human visual...analysis should perform better than either approach by itself. Notice that the problems of the two approaches are non-overlapping. Continuous methods face no...success. This is not terribly surprising, as the problem is inherently very difficult. Consider the problems faced by a unit that is trying to compute the

The Impact of Face Skin Tone vs. Face Symmetry on Perceived Facial Attractiveness.

PubMed

Vera Cruz, Germano

2018-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess and compare the relative contribution of skin tone and symmetry on judgment of attractiveness regarding female faces. Two hundred and fifteen Mozambican adults were presented with a set of faces, and instructed to rate their degree of attractiveness along a continuous scale. Chi-square, factorial weight analyses and ANOVA were used to analyze the data. Face skin tone had a significant impact on the participants' attractiveness judgment of target faces. However, the target face skin tone contribution to the participants' attractiveness judgment (5% of the total variance) was much weaker than the contribution of the target face symmetry (85% of the total variance). These results imply that skin bleaching, common among Black people across sub-Saharan African countries, is not only dangerous to the health of those who practice it, but it is unlikely to make them appear much more attractive.

Limitations to soybean photosynthesis at elevated carbon dioxide in free-air enrichment and open top chamber systems.

PubMed

Bunce, James A

2014-09-01

It has been suggested that the stimulation of soybean photosynthesis by elevated CO2 was less in free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) systems than in open top chambers (OTC), which might explain smaller yield increases at elevated CO2 in FACE systems. However, this has not been tested using the same cultivars grown in the same location. I tested whether soybean photosynthesis at high light and elevated CO2 (ambient+180 μmol mol(-1)) was limited by electron transport (J) in FACE systems but by ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylation capacity (VCmax) in OTC. FACE systems with daytime and continuous CO2 enrichment were also compared. The results indicated that in both cultivars examined, midday photosynthesis at high light was always limited by VCmax, both in the FACE and in the OTC systems. Daytime only CO2 enrichment did not affect photosynthetic parameters or limitations, but did result in significantly smaller yields in both cultivars than continuous elevation. Photosynthesis measured at low photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) was not higher at elevated than at ambient CO2, because of an acclimation to elevated CO2 which was only evident at low measurement PPFDs. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Nanofiber-deposited porous platinum enables glucose fuel cell anodes with high current density in body fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frei, Maxi; Erben, Johannes; Martin, Julian; Zengerle, Roland; Kerzenmacher, Sven

2017-09-01

The poisoning of platinum anodes by body-fluid constituents such as amino acids is currently the main hurdle preventing the application of abiotic glucose fuel cells as battery-independent power supply for medical implants. We present a novel anode material that enables continuous operation of glucose oxidation anodes in horse serum for at least 30 days at a current density of (7.2 ± 1.9) μA cm-2. The fabrication process is based on the electro-deposition of highly porous platinum onto a 3-dimensional carbon nanofiber support, leading to approximately 2-fold increased electrode roughness factors (up to 16500 ± 2300). The material's superior performance is not only related to its high specific surface area, but also to an improved catalytic activity and/or poisoning resistance. Presumably, this results from the micro- and nanostructure of the platinum deposits. This represents a major step forward in the development of implantable glucose fuel cells based on long-term stable platinum electrodes.

The development of a computer assisted instruction and assessment system in pharmacology.

PubMed

Madsen, B W; Bell, R C

1977-01-01

We describe the construction of a computer based system for instruction and assessment in pharmacology, utilizing a large bank of multiple choice questions. Items were collected from many sources, edited and coded for student suitability, topic, taxonomy and difficulty and text references. Students reserve a time during the day, specify the type of test desired and questions are presented randomly from the subset satisfying their criteria. Answers are scored after each question and a summary given at the end of every test; details on item performance are recorded automatically. The biggest hurdle in implementation was the assembly, review, classification and editing of items, while the programming was relatively straight-forward. A number of modifications had to be made to the initial plans and changes will undoubtedly continue with further experience. When fully operational the system will possess a number of advantages including: elimination of test preparation, editing and marking; facilitated item review opportunities; increased objectivity, feedback, flexibility and descreased anxiety in students.

Provision of Prosthetic Services Following Lower Limb Amputation in Malaysia

PubMed Central

Arifin, Nooranida; Hasbollah, Hasif Rafidee; Hanafi, Muhammad Hafiz; Ibrahim, Al Hafiz; Rahman, Wan Afezah Wan Abdul; Aziz, Roslizawati Che

2017-01-01

The incidence of lower limb amputation is high across the globe and continues to be a major threat to morbidity and mortality. Consequently, the provision of high quality and effective prosthetics services have been known as an essential component for a successful rehabilitation outcome. In Malaysia, amputation prevalence has been increasing in which several main components of service delivering aspects (such as service intervention, prosthetic personnel) should be anticipated to accommodate for the increasing demand. This article highlights the hurdles experienced in providing prosthetic services in Malaysia from multiple aspects such as financial burden to acquire the prosthesis and lack of expertise to produce quality prosthesis. This paramount issues consequently justify for the urgency to carry out national level survey on the current statistics of lower limb amputation and to ascertain the available workforce to provide a quality prosthetics services. Only with accurate and current information from the national survey, strategies and policies aimed at enhancing the outcome from prosthetics services can be achieved. PMID:29386978

Efficient and Flexible Climate Analysis with Python in a Cloud-Based Distributed Computing Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gannon, C.

2017-12-01

As climate models become progressively more advanced, and spatial resolution further improved through various downscaling projects, climate projections at a local level are increasingly insightful and valuable. However, the raw size of climate datasets presents numerous hurdles for analysts wishing to develop customized climate risk metrics or perform site-specific statistical analysis. Four Twenty Seven, a climate risk consultancy, has implemented a Python-based distributed framework to analyze large climate datasets in the cloud. With the freedom afforded by efficiently processing these datasets, we are able to customize and continually develop new climate risk metrics using the most up-to-date data. Here we outline our process for using Python packages such as XArray and Dask to evaluate netCDF files in a distributed framework, StarCluster to operate in a cluster-computing environment, cloud computing services to access publicly hosted datasets, and how this setup is particularly valuable for generating climate change indicators and performing localized statistical analysis.

Polymers for new battery technologies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Mohit

2009-03-01

The chemical and electrochemical reactivity of the components comprising today's lithium batteries has severely limited their lifetime and stability, and attempts to push the limits on energy density have exacerbated these stability issues. The weakest link in terms of safety and stability of Li ion systems is the organic liquid electrolyte that facilitates the Li^+ ion transport between the electrodes. The electrolyte is flammable and electrochemically unstable against the graphitic anode. It is the continuous electrochemical degradation of the electrolyte at the electrodes that leads to poor cycle life of the batteries, and in some cases runaway reactions that lead to explosions. Dry polymer electrolytes alleviate the electrochemical stability problem by offering a stable electrode-electrolyte interface. The absence of flammable liquids prevents runaway reactions. The main hurdle that has prevented dry polymer electrolytes from being commercialized is low ionic conductivity, and challenges in interfacing with the electrode materials. We demonstrate a novel approach towards addressing these challenges that renders batteries with excellent cycle lives, and thermal stability.

Point-of-care diagnostics: extending the laboratory network to reach the last mile.

PubMed

Drain, Paul K; Rousseau, Christine

2017-03-01

More point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tests are becoming available for HIV diagnosis and treatment in resource-limited settings. These novel technologies have the potential to foster decentralized HIV care and treatment for the benefit of clinical laboratories, HIV clinics, and HIV-infected patients. There continue to be many business, technological, and operational challenges that limit product development and regulatory approval, which limits products available for the required operational and cost-effectiveness studies and delays policy adoption and implementation. Although the rapid HIV diagnostic test has been widely successful, the pathways for POC CD4 cell count and HIV viral load assay analyzers have been more challenging. We describe significant hurdles for product development, approval, and implementation, which include the business case, technical development, clinical impact, and integrating laboratory and clinical networks. The objective of this review is to highlight the obstacles for developing and implementing appropriate strategies for POC HIV testing assays to improve the clinical services for HIV-infected patients in resource-limited settings.

Peer Review and Surgical Innovation: Robotic Surgery and Its Hurdles.

PubMed

Vyas, Dinesh; Cronin, Sean

2015-12-01

The peer review processes as outlined in the Health Care Quality Improvement Act (HCQIA) is meant ensure quality standard of care through a self-policing mechanism by the medical community. This process grants immunity for people filing a peer review, which is meant to protect whistleblowers. However, it also creates a loophole that can be used maliciously to hinder competition. This is accentuated when surgeons are integrating new technologies, such as robotic surgery, into their practice. With more than 2000 da Vinci robots in use and more than 300 new units being shipped each year, robotic surgery has become a mainstay in the surgical field. The applications for robots continue to expand as surgeons discover their expanding capability. We need a better peer review process. That ensures the peer review is void of competitive bias. Peer reviewers need to be familiar with the procedure and the technology. The current process could stymie innovation in the name of competition.

Recent Advances in Preclinical Developments Using Adenovirus Hybrid Vectors.

PubMed

Ehrke-Schulz, Eric; Zhang, Wenli; Gao, Jian; Ehrhardt, Anja

2017-10-01

Adenovirus (Ad)-based vectors are efficient gene-transfer vehicles to deliver foreign DNA into living organisms, offering large cargo capacity and low immunogenicity and genotoxicity. As Ad shows low integration rates of their genomes into host chromosomes, vector-derived gene expression decreases due to continuous cell cycling in regenerating tissues and dividing cell populations. To overcome this hurdle, adenoviral delivery can be combined with mechanisms leading to maintenance of therapeutic DNA and long-term effects of the desired treatment. Several hybrid Ad vectors (AdV) exploiting various strategies for long-term treatment have been developed and characterized. This review summarizes recent developments of preclinical approaches using hybrid AdVs utilizing either the Sleeping Beauty transposase system for somatic integration into host chromosomes or designer nucleases, including transcription activator-like effector nucleases and clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein-9 nuclease for permanent gene editing. Further options on how to optimize these vectors further are discussed, which may lead to future clinical applications of these versatile gene-therapy tools.

Provision of Prosthetic Services Following Lower Limb Amputation in Malaysia.

PubMed

Arifin, Nooranida; Hasbollah, Hasif Rafidee; Hanafi, Muhammad Hafiz; Ibrahim, Al Hafiz; Rahman, Wan Afezah Wan Abdul; Aziz, Roslizawati Che

2017-10-01

The incidence of lower limb amputation is high across the globe and continues to be a major threat to morbidity and mortality. Consequently, the provision of high quality and effective prosthetics services have been known as an essential component for a successful rehabilitation outcome. In Malaysia, amputation prevalence has been increasing in which several main components of service delivering aspects (such as service intervention, prosthetic personnel) should be anticipated to accommodate for the increasing demand. This article highlights the hurdles experienced in providing prosthetic services in Malaysia from multiple aspects such as financial burden to acquire the prosthesis and lack of expertise to produce quality prosthesis. This paramount issues consequently justify for the urgency to carry out national level survey on the current statistics of lower limb amputation and to ascertain the available workforce to provide a quality prosthetics services. Only with accurate and current information from the national survey, strategies and policies aimed at enhancing the outcome from prosthetics services can be achieved.

Leading Learning: The Role of School Leaders in Supporting Continuous Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevenson, Michael; Hedberg, John G.; O'Sullivan, Kerry-Ann; Howe, Cathie

2016-01-01

In contemporary school settings, leaders seeking to support professional development are faced with many challenges. These challenges call for educators who can undertake professional learning that is continuous and adaptive to change. As a term, continuous professional development (CPD) reflects many different forms of professional development in…

The Strategies for Significant Survival of Postsecondary Centers for Continuing Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caldwell, Phyllis A.

While the financial survival of postsecondary institutions is being stressed, continuing education operarions are facing increasing difficulties in surviving and competing. Strategies are needed for the significant survival of continuing education operations at the small college. The Lifelong Learning Center and others like it need to be concerned…

Education and Training: Springboard or Hurdle?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, M.

1987-01-01

A survey of 19 British companies documented their use of education and training programs. Questions covered such areas as (1) expenditure rates, (2) strategy and policies, (3) appraisal and budgeting, and (4) accounting practice. Problems and potential changes were solicited. (CH)

IN SILICO MODELLING OF HAZARDOUS ENDPOINTS: CURRENT PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTIVES

EPA Science Inventory

The primary hurdles for Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSARs) to overcome their acceptance for regulatory purposes will be discussed. They include (a) the development of more mechanistic representations of chemical structure, (b) the classification of toxicity pa...

RETROFIT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT: NAVIGATING MULTIDISCIPLINARY HURDLES AT THE WATERSHED SCALE

EPA Science Inventory

Stormwater runoff from extensive impervious surfaces in urban and suburban areas has led to human safety risks and stream ecosystem impairment, triggering an interest in watershed-scale retrofit stormwater management. Such stormwater management is of multidisciplinary relevance, ...

Marginalized multilevel hurdle and zero-inflated models for overdispersed and correlated count data with excess zeros.

PubMed

Kassahun, Wondwosen; Neyens, Thomas; Molenberghs, Geert; Faes, Christel; Verbeke, Geert

2014-11-10

Count data are collected repeatedly over time in many applications, such as biology, epidemiology, and public health. Such data are often characterized by the following three features. First, correlation due to the repeated measures is usually accounted for using subject-specific random effects, which are assumed to be normally distributed. Second, the sample variance may exceed the mean, and hence, the theoretical mean-variance relationship is violated, leading to overdispersion. This is usually allowed for based on a hierarchical approach, combining a Poisson model with gamma distributed random effects. Third, an excess of zeros beyond what standard count distributions can predict is often handled by either the hurdle or the zero-inflated model. A zero-inflated model assumes two processes as sources of zeros and combines a count distribution with a discrete point mass as a mixture, while the hurdle model separately handles zero observations and positive counts, where then a truncated-at-zero count distribution is used for the non-zero state. In practice, however, all these three features can appear simultaneously. Hence, a modeling framework that incorporates all three is necessary, and this presents challenges for the data analysis. Such models, when conditionally specified, will naturally have a subject-specific interpretation. However, adopting their purposefully modified marginalized versions leads to a direct marginal or population-averaged interpretation for parameter estimates of covariate effects, which is the primary interest in many applications. In this paper, we present a marginalized hurdle model and a marginalized zero-inflated model for correlated and overdispersed count data with excess zero observations and then illustrate these further with two case studies. The first dataset focuses on the Anopheles mosquito density around a hydroelectric dam, while adolescents' involvement in work, to earn money and support their families or themselves, is studied in the second example. Sub-models, which result from omitting zero-inflation and/or overdispersion features, are also considered for comparison's purpose. Analysis of the two datasets showed that accounting for the correlation, overdispersion, and excess zeros simultaneously resulted in a better fit to the data and, more importantly, that omission of any of them leads to incorrect marginal inference and erroneous conclusions about covariate effects. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

47 CFR 32.4200 - Long term debt and funded debt.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... applied to securities issued or assumed by the company, means the excess of the book or face amount of the... consideration received at their sale. (4) The face amount of debt reacquired prior to maturity that has not been... 32.4200 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (CONTINUED) COMMON CARRIER SERVICES...

An Inventory and Use Analysis of Information Systems on Small Farms in Pennsylvania

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Jean S.

2007-01-01

Across the United States, today's farm operators face continuing challenges from global competition, increasing production costs, changing technology, increased regulations, scarce resources, and lower profit margins. To face these challenges, farm operators need to gather and utilize information allowing them to make informed decisions. Several…

E-Coaching Systems: Convenient, Anytime, Anywhere, and Nonhuman

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warner, Teri

2012-01-01

Technologies continue to evolve to provide more compelling and interactive learning opportunities. Coaching has traditionally been face-to-face or by email. By combining the new technologies with coaching, learning developers now have the opportunity to develop an asynchronous, online, nonhuman coaching system, or e-coaching system. An e-coaching…

Differences in Business Undergraduate Perceptions by Preferred Classroom Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blau, Gary; Mittal, Neha; Schirmer, Michael; Ozkan, Bora

2017-01-01

Online education continues to grow at business schools. The authors compared undergraduate business student perceptions across three different classroom learning delivery environments: online, hybrid, and face to face. Based on the survey responses using two independent samples, the authors' analyses found that students who preferred online…

Facing the New Millennium: Making Friends with the Future.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roueche, John E.; Roueche, Suanne D.

2000-01-01

Asserts that building relationships with constituents remains the best strategy for ensuring the future institutional survival of community colleges. Examines some of the conditions that community colleges will be facing in the future, such as increasing numbers of students to serve, the continuing need for remedial/developmental education, and…

30 CFR 18.22 - Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary face ventilation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary... AND ACCESSORIES Construction and Design Requirements § 18.22 Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary face ventilation. Each boring-type continuous-mining machine that is submitted for approval shall...

30 CFR 18.22 - Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary face ventilation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary... AND ACCESSORIES Construction and Design Requirements § 18.22 Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary face ventilation. Each boring-type continuous-mining machine that is submitted for approval shall...

30 CFR 18.22 - Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary face ventilation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary... AND ACCESSORIES Construction and Design Requirements § 18.22 Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary face ventilation. Each boring-type continuous-mining machine that is submitted for approval shall...

30 CFR 18.22 - Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary face ventilation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary... AND ACCESSORIES Construction and Design Requirements § 18.22 Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary face ventilation. Each boring-type continuous-mining machine that is submitted for approval shall...

30 CFR 18.22 - Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary face ventilation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary... AND ACCESSORIES Construction and Design Requirements § 18.22 Boring-type machines equipped for auxiliary face ventilation. Each boring-type continuous-mining machine that is submitted for approval shall...

Online Learning: Cross-Cultural Development in Time Poor Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cameron, Heather; Limberger, Jacqui

2004-01-01

Faced with a unique problem of providing cross-cultural awareness training on a continuing basis, Griffith University, located in Brisbane, Queensland developed an innovative program to meet the challenges it faced. A key strategy in the University's Indigenous Recruitment Strategy was to establish a cross-cultural awareness program sensitising…

E-Learning in Business

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schweizer, Heidi

2004-01-01

e-Learning is replacing face-to-face classroom instruction in a growing number of businesses, but what is the prospect for the continued proliferation of e-learning in business? On one hand, the quality of instruction, the cost-effectiveness of new technology, a supportive e-learning educational culture, an expansion of the Internet, an increase…

75 FR 80529 - Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-22

... license when a record on its face, or in conjunction with other records, indicates a violation or..., order, or license when a record on its face, or in conjunction with other records, indicates a violation... contact for organizations (including organizations that apply for recognition as a sponsor of continuing...

Practical Applications and Experiences in K-20 Blended Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyei-Blankson, Lydia, Ed.; Ntuli, Esther, Ed.

2014-01-01

Learning environments continue to change considerably and is no longer confined to the face-to-face classroom setting. As learning options have evolved, educators must adopt a variety of pedagogical strategies and innovative technologies to enable learning. "Practical Applications and Experiences in K-20 Blended Learning Environments"…

CFD analysis on gas distribution for different scrubber redirection configurations in sump cut.

PubMed

Zheng, Y; Organiscak, J A; Zhou, L; Beck, T W; Rider, J P

2015-01-01

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's Office of Mine Safety and Health Research recently developed a series of models using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to study the gas distribution around a continuous mining machine with various fan-powered flooded bed scrubber discharge configurations. CFD models using Species Transport Model without reactions in FLUENT were constructed to evaluate the redirection of scrubber discharge toward the mining face rather than behind the return curtain. The following scenarios are considered in this study: 100 percent of the discharge redirected back toward the face on the off-curtain side of the continuous miner; 100 percent of the discharge redirected back toward the face, but divided equally to both sides of the machine; and 15 percent of the discharge redirected toward the face on the off-curtain side of the machine, with 85 percent directed into the return. These models were compared against a model with a conventional scrubber discharge, where air is directed away from the face into the return. The CFD models were calibrated and validated based on experimental data and accurately predicted sulfur hexafluoride (SF 6 ) gas levels at four gas monitoring locations. One additional prediction model was simulated to consider a different scrubber discharge angle for the 100 percent redirected, equally divided case. These models identified relatively high gassy areas around the continuous miner, which may not warrant their use in coal mines with medium to high methane liberation rates. This paper describes the methodology used to develop the CFD models, and the validation of the models based on experimental data.

Railroad safety statistics annual report 2006

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-04-01

It is hoped that the information provided in this publication will provide insight into the most : significant safety issues facing the rail industry and, in turn, lead to continued rail safety : improvements. Only by continuing our understanding abo...

Railroad safety statistics annual report 2002

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-03-01

It is hoped that the information provided in this publication will provide insight into the most significant safety issues facing the rail industry and, in turn, lead to continued rail safety improvements. Only by continuing our understanding about h...

Railroad safety statistics annual report 2001

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-07-01

It is hoped that the information provided in this publication will provide insight into the most significant safety issues facing the rail industry and, in turn, lead to continued rail safety improvements. Only by continuing our understanding about h...

Antitumor HPV E7-specific CTL activity elicited by in vivo engineered exosomes produced through DNA inoculation.

PubMed

Di Bonito, Paola; Chiozzini, Chiara; Arenaccio, Claudia; Anticoli, Simona; Manfredi, Francesco; Olivetta, Eleonora; Ferrantelli, Flavia; Falcone, Emiliana; Ruggieri, Anna; Federico, Maurizio

2017-01-01

We recently proved that exosomes engineered in vitro to deliver high amounts of HPV E7 upon fusion with the Nef mut exosome-anchoring protein elicit an efficient anti-E7 cytotoxic T lymphocyte immune response. However, in view of a potential clinic application of this finding, our exosome-based immunization strategy was faced with possible technical difficulties including industrial manufacturing, cost of production, and storage. To overcome these hurdles, we designed an as yet unproven exosome-based immunization strategy relying on delivery by intramuscular inoculation of a DNA vector expressing Nef mut fused with HPV E7. In this way, we predicted that the expression of the Nef mut /E7 vector in muscle cells would result in a continuous source of endogenous (ie, produced by the inoculated host) engineered exosomes able to induce an E7-specific immune response. To assess this hypothesis, we first demonstrated that the injection of a Nef mut /green fluorescent protein-expressing vector led to the release of fluorescent exosomes, as detected in plasma of inoculated mice. Then, we observed that mice inoculated intramuscularly with a vector expressing Nef mut /E7 developed a CD8 + T-cell immune response against both Nef and E7. Conversely, no CD8 + T-cell responses were detected upon injection of vectors expressing either the wild-type Nef isoform of E7 alone, most likely a consequence of their inefficient exosome incorporation. The production of immunogenic exosomes in the DNA-injected mice was formally demonstrated by the E7-specific CD8 + T-cell immune response we detected in mice inoculated with exosomes isolated from plasma of mice inoculated with the Nef mut /E7 vector. Finally, we provide evidence that the injection of Nef mut /E7 DNA led to the generation of effective antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes whose activity was likely part of the potent, therapeutic antitumor effect we observed in mice implanted with TC-1 tumor cells. In summary, we established a novel method to generate immunogenic exosomes in vivo by the intramuscular inoculation of DNA vectors expressing the exosome-anchoring protein Nef mut and its derivatives.

HPLC method development for evolving applications in the pharmaceutical industry and nanoscale chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castiglione, Steven Louis

As scientific research trends towards trace levels and smaller architectures, the analytical chemist is often faced with the challenge of quantitating said species in a variety of matricies. The challenge is heightened when the analytes prove to be potentially toxic or possess physical or chemical properties that make traditional analytical methods problematic. In such cases, the successful development of an acceptable quantitative method plays a critical role in the ability to further develop the species under study. This is particularly true for pharmaceutical impurities and nanoparticles (NP). The first portion of the research focuses on the development of a part-per-billion level HPLC method for a substituted phenazine-class pharmaceutical impurity. The development of this method was required due to the need for a rapid methodology to quantitatively determine levels of a potentially toxic phenazine moiety in order to ensure patient safety. As the synthetic pathway for the active ingredient was continuously refined to produce progressively lower amounts of the phenazine impurity, the approach for increasingly sensitive quantitative methods was required. The approaches evolved across four discrete methods, each employing a unique scheme for analyte detection. All developed methods were evaluated with regards to accuracy, precision and linear adherence as well as ancillary benefits and detriments -- e.g., one method in this evolution demonstrated the ability to resolve and detect other species from the phenazine class. The second portion of the research focuses on the development of an HPLC method for the quantitative determination of NP size distributions. The current methodology for the determination of NP sizes employs tunneling electron microscopy (TEM), which requires sample drying without particle size alteration and which, in many cases, may prove infeasible due to cost or availability. The feasibility of an HPLC method for NP size characterizations evolved across three methods, each employing a different approach for size resolution. These methods were evaluated primarily for sensitivity, which proved to be a substantial hurdle to further development, but does not appear to deter future research efforts.

Hovercraft transportation in Alaska : CZM & NEPA hurdles.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-05-31

The United States Postal Service (USPS) received an unsolicited proposal from Alaska Hovercraft Joint Venture for a two-year demonstration program for the transport of : bypass and non-priority mail by Hovercraft on a year-round basis from the city o...

Macro Analysis Tool - MAT

EPA Science Inventory

This product is an easy-to-use Excel-based macro analysis tool (MAT) for performing comparisons of air sensor data with reference data and interpreting the results. This tool tackles one of the biggest hurdles in citizen-led community air monitoring projects – working with ...

Mission Continuity Planning: Strategically Assessing and Planning for Threats to Operations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qayoumi, Mohammad H.

This book covers the principles of risk and risk management and offers a framework for analyzing the significant, often unforeseen threats facing higher education institutions today. It examines the critical elements of a disaster preparedness plan and addresses business continuity and mission continuity planning. The book also provides tools for…

Dynamics and Control of Tethered Satellite Formations for the Purpose of Space-Based Remote Sensing

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

remote sensing mission. Energy dissipation is found to have an adverse effect on foundational rigid body (Likins-Pringle) equilibria. It is shown that a continuously earth-facing equilibrium condition for a fixed-length tethered system does not exist since the spin rate required for the proper precession would not be high enough to maintain tether tension. The range of required spin rates for steady-spin motion is numerically defined here, but none of these conditions can meet the continuously earth-facing criteria. Of particular note is the discovery that applying certain

A Qualitative Examination of Community College Instructors' Strategies for Engaging Students with Physical Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kusek, Thomas A.

2017-01-01

Community colleges continually experience increasing enrollment of students with physical disabilities. This basic qualitative study implemented face-to-face interviews of 10 community college faculty members that have a variety of academic and disciplines and have assisted students with disabilities. Participants were asked questions developed…

Digitizing Ethiopic: Coding for Linguistic Continuity in the Face of Digital Extinction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaugg, Isabelle Alice

2017-01-01

Despite the growing sophistication of digital technologies, it appears they are contributing to language extinction on a par with devastating losses in biodiversity. With language extinction comes loss of identity, inter-generational cohesion, culture, and a global wealth of knowledge to address future problems facing humanity. Linguists estimate…

Mission-Based Management in Higher Education: How Do Academic Department Chairpersons Align Decision-Making with Their Organizational Mission?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hlavac, Craig

2012-01-01

The academic department chairperson continues to face significant challenges in the administration of the contemporary university. Due to retrenchment resultant from the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (GFC), higher education has already faced significant financial cutbacks, and more reductions seem inevitable. Particularly susceptible are…

49 CFR 398.5 - Parts and accessories necessary for safe operation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... inches of space between the backrests or between the edges of the opposite seats when face to face.... 398.5 Section 398.5 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL... vehicle, or cause or permit it to be operated, unless it is equipped in accordance with said requirements...

The Impact of Mentoring Programs on Teachers in Urban Middle Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wider, Beyonka Shantel

2012-01-01

Retaining teachers is a pressing issue facing many urban middle schools in the southern US. Urban middle schools continually face increased teacher turnover rates in spite of state mandated induction and mentoring programs. Drawing from Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, the purpose of the qualitative case study was to examine urban middle…

Using FACE systems to screen wheat cultivars for yield increases at elevated CO2

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Because of continuing increases in atmospheric CO2, identifying cultivars of crops with larger yield increases at elevated CO2 may provide an avenue to increase crop yield potential in future climates. Free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) systems have most often been used with multiple replications of ea...

Steps to Offering Low Vision Rehabilitation Services through Clinical Video Telehealth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ihirig, Carolyn

2016-01-01

Telehealth clinical applications, which allow medical professionals to use telecommunications technologies to provide services to individuals remotely, continue to expand in areas such as low vision rehabilitation, where evaluations are provided to patients who live in rural areas. As with face-to-face low vision rehabilitation, the goal of…

The Paradox of Transformative Learning among Mid-Career Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agger-Gupta, Niels; Etmanski, Catherine

2014-01-01

Royal Roads University (RRU) is a special purpose university in British Columbia, Canada. Since 1995, this university has focused primarily on multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary graduate education for working professionals. Most programs are offered in a blended online and face-to-face format, which enables adult learners to continue in their…

Shallow Roots Require Constant Watering: The Challenge of Sustained Impact in Educational Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosen, Yigal; Perkins, David

2013-01-01

Socially-oriented educational programs often face societal barriers. Peace education in a region of prolonged conflict faces a negative socio-political environment that works against its effects. The media, leadership, educational system and other societal institutions continue to express a culture of conflict. Recent studies show that the effects…

The Effects of Technological Overload on Children: An Art Therapist's Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klorer, P. Gussie

2009-01-01

Children today are continually bombarded with visual and auditory stimulation, and many make their connections in cyberspace to the detriment of real-time face-to-face encounters with other people. The negative effects of multitasking and technological overload on children and adolescents are discussed in this viewpoint article from the…

Instructional Supervision: A Descriptive Study Focusing on the Observation and Evaluation of Teachers in Cyberschools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farley, Gregory Charles

2010-01-01

Since 1996, K-12 schools are increasingly moving from a traditional, face-to-face educational environment to an online learning environment utilizing technologies to deliver instruction primarily via the Internet. As this trend continues, administrators familiar with traditional supervisory methods will observe and evaluate teachers of online…

Active Learning with Interactive Videos: Creating Student-Guided Learning Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Ariana

2016-01-01

Distance learning programs across the country continue to grow and evolve. In order to support these programs, librarians are often expected to convert face-to-face classes and reference sessions to the online environment. Due to the necessity of explaining information literacy concepts and demonstrating the access and use of library resources,…

A Qualitative Exploration of Cyber-Bystanders and Moral Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Deborah; Green, Deborah; Spears, Barbara; Scrimgeour, Margaret; Barnes, Alan; Geer, Ruth; Johnson, Bruce

2014-01-01

Studies have found that moral disengagement plays a significant role in the continuation of bullying situations (Bonanno, 2005); however, the moral stance of cyber-bystanders--those who witness online bullying--is not yet clear. While research into traditional face-to-face bullying reported that peers would probably or certainly intervene to…

Career Development with Transgender College Students: Implications for Career and Employment Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, David A.; Belke, Stephanie L.; Barfield, Hannah G.

2011-01-01

The number of transgender college students continues to increase every year. These students face unique challenges that many college and university career centers are not prepared to handle. This article describes some of the challenges facing transgender students and college career centers. A professional development design is proposed to assist…

Examining the Academic Counseling Courses as a Support Service in Distance Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cekerol, Kamil; Bozkaya, Mujgan

2010-01-01

Academic counseling courses, in which learner support is provided in a face-to-face environment, maintain their importance and continuity since the beginning of the distance education system in Anadolu University. Academic counseling courses, which are carried out by getting support from various universities, are conducted by bringing the…