(1 +1 )D Calculation Provides Evidence that Quantum Entanglement Survives a Firewall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín-Martínez, Eduardo; Louko, Jorma

2015-07-01

We analyze how preexisting entanglement between two Unruh-DeWitt particle detectors evolves when one of the detectors falls through a Rindler firewall in (1 +1 )-dimensional Minkowski space. The firewall effect is minor and does not wash out the detector-detector entanglement, in some regimes even preserving the entanglement better than Minkowski vacuum. The absence of cataclysmic events should continue to hold for young black hole firewalls. A firewall's prospective ability to resolve the information paradox must hence hinge on its detailed gravitational structure, presently poorly understood.

5. VIEW OF A GLOVE BOX FIREWALL DETAIL. THE FIREWALL ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

5. VIEW OF A GLOVE BOX FIREWALL DETAIL. THE FIREWALL WAS A SAFETY FEATURE TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF FIRE BETWEEN INTERCONNECTED GLOVE BOXES. PLUTONIUM IS PYROPHORIC, AND MAY IGNITE IN THE PRESENCE OF OXYGEN. (5/8/70) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Manufacturing Facility, North-central section of Plant, just south of Building 776/777, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

Performance Evaluation Model for Application Layer Firewalls.

PubMed

Xuan, Shichang; Yang, Wu; Dong, Hui; Zhang, Jiangchuan

2016-01-01

Application layer firewalls protect the trusted area network against information security risks. However, firewall performance may affect user experience. Therefore, performance analysis plays a significant role in the evaluation of application layer firewalls. This paper presents an analytic model of the application layer firewall, based on a system analysis to evaluate the capability of the firewall. In order to enable users to improve the performance of the application layer firewall with limited resources, resource allocation was evaluated to obtain the optimal resource allocation scheme in terms of throughput, delay, and packet loss rate. The proposed model employs the Erlangian queuing model to analyze the performance parameters of the system with regard to the three layers (network, transport, and application layers). Then, the analysis results of all the layers are combined to obtain the overall system performance indicators. A discrete event simulation method was used to evaluate the proposed model. Finally, limited service desk resources were allocated to obtain the values of the performance indicators under different resource allocation scenarios in order to determine the optimal allocation scheme. Under limited resource allocation, this scheme enables users to maximize the performance of the application layer firewall.

Avoid Disaster: Use Firewalls for Inter-Intranet Security.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Charnetski, J. R.

1998-01-01

Discusses the use of firewalls for library intranets, highlighting the move from mainframes to PCs, security issues and firewall architecture, and operating systems. Provides a glossary of basic networking terms and a bibliography of suggested reading. (PEN)

Method, systems, and computer program products for implementing function-parallel network firewall

DOEpatents

Fulp, Errin W [Winston-Salem, NC; Farley, Ryan J [Winston-Salem, NC

2011-10-11

Methods, systems, and computer program products for providing function-parallel firewalls are disclosed. According to one aspect, a function-parallel firewall includes a first firewall node for filtering received packets using a first portion of a rule set including a plurality of rules. The first portion includes less than all of the rules in the rule set. At least one second firewall node filters packets using a second portion of the rule set. The second portion includes at least one rule in the rule set that is not present in the first portion. The first and second portions together include all of the rules in the rule set.

A novel 6-DOF parallel robot and its pose errors compensation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Zhixin; Ye, Meiyan; Luo, Yufeng

2011-10-01

In the traditional security solution conditions, software firewall cannot intercept and respond the invasion before being attacked. And because of the high cost, the hardware firewall does not apply to the security strategy of the end nodes, so we have designed a kind of solution of embedded firewall with hardware and software. With ARM embedding Linux operating system, we have designed packet filter module and intrusion detection module to implement the basic function of firewall. Experiments and results show that that firewall has the advantages of low cost, high processing speed, high safety and the application of the computer terminals. This paper focuses on packet filtering module design and implementation.

Random Time Identity Based Firewall In Mobile Ad hoc Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suman, Patel, R. B.; Singh, Parvinder

2010-11-01

A mobile ad hoc network (MANET) is a self-organizing network of mobile routers and associated hosts connected by wireless links. MANETs are highly flexible and adaptable but at the same time are highly prone to security risks due to the open medium, dynamically changing network topology, cooperative algorithms, and lack of centralized control. Firewall is an effective means of protecting a local network from network-based security threats and forms a key component in MANET security architecture. This paper presents a review of firewall implementation techniques in MANETs and their relative merits and demerits. A new approach is proposed to select MANET nodes at random for firewall implementation. This approach randomly select a new node as firewall after fixed time and based on critical value of certain parameters like power backup. This approach effectively balances power and resource utilization of entire MANET because responsibility of implementing firewall is equally shared among all the nodes. At the same time it ensures improved security for MANETs from outside attacks as intruder will not be able to find out the entry point in MANET due to the random selection of nodes for firewall implementation.

Black hole firewalls require huge energy of measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hotta, Masahiro; Matsumoto, Jiro; Funo, Ken

2014-06-01

The unitary moving mirror model is one of the best quantum systems for checking the reasoning of the original firewall paradox of Almheiri et al. [J. High Energy Phys. 02 (2013) 062] in quantum black holes. Though the late-time part of radiations emitted from the mirror is fully entangled with the early part, no firewall exists with a deadly, huge average energy flux in this model. This is because the high-energy entanglement structure of the discretized systems in almost maximally entangled states is modified so as to yield the correct description of low-energy effective field theory. Furthermore, the strong subadditivity paradox of firewalls is resolved using nonlocality of general one-particle states and zero-point fluctuation entanglement. Due to the Reeh-Schlieder theorem in quantum field theory, another firewall paradox is inevitably raised with quantum remote measurements in the model. We resolve this paradox from the viewpoint of the energy cost of measurements. No firewall appears, as long as the energy for the measurement is much smaller than the ultraviolet cutoff scale.

Enhanced Internet firewall design using stateful filters final report

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

Hutchins, J.A.; Simons, R.W.

1997-08-01

The current state-of-the-art in firewall design provides a lot of security for company networks, but normally at the expense of performance and/or functionality. Sandia researched a new approach to firewall design which incorporates a highly stateful approach, allowing much more flexibility for protocol checking and manipulation while retaining performance. A prototype system was built and multiple protocol policy modules implemented to test the concept. The resulting system, though implemented on a low-power workstation, performed almost at the same performance as Sandia`s current firewall.

Firewall systems: the next generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGhie, Lynda L.

1996-01-01

To be competitive in today's globally connected marketplace, a company must ensure that their internal network security methodologies and supporting policies are current and reflect an overall understanding of today's technology and its resultant threats. Further, an integrated approach to information security should ensure that new ways of sharing information and doing business are accommodated; such as electronic commerce, high speed public broadband network services, and the federally sponsored National Information Infrastructure. There are many challenges, and success is determined by the establishment of a solid and firm baseline security architecture that accommodate today's external connectivity requirements, provides transitional solutions that integrate with evolving and dynamic technologies, and ultimately acknowledges both the strategic and tactical goals of an evolving network security architecture and firewall system. This paper explores the evolution of external network connectivity requirements, the associated challenges and the subsequent development and evolution of firewall security systems. It makes the assumption that a firewall is a set of integrated and interoperable components, coming together to form a `SYSTEM' and must be designed, implement and managed as such. A progressive firewall model will be utilized to illustrates the evolution of firewall systems from earlier models utilizing separate physical networks, to today's multi-component firewall systems enabling secure heterogeneous and multi-protocol interfaces.

A quantum optical firewall based on simple quantum devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amellal, H.; Meslouhi, A.; Hassouni, Y.; El Baz, M.

2015-07-01

In order to enhance the transmission security in quantum communications via coherent states, we propose a quantum optical firewall device to protect a quantum cryptosystem against eavesdropping through optical attack strategies. Similar to the classical model of the firewall, the proposed device gives legitimate users the possibility of filtering, controlling (input/output states) and making a decision (access or deny) concerning the traveling states. To prove the security and efficiency of the suggested optical firewall, we analyze its performances against the family of intercept and resend attacks, especially against one of the most prominent attack schemes known as "Faked State Attack."

Performance optimization of internet firewalls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiueh, Tzi-cker; Ballman, Allen

1997-01-01

Internet firewalls control the data traffic in and out of an enterprise network by checking network packets against a set of rules that embodies an organization's security policy. Because rule checking is computationally more expensive than routing-table look-up, it could become a potential bottleneck for scaling up the performance of IP routers, which typically implement firewall functions in software. in this paper, we analyzed the performance problems associated with firewalls, particularly packet filters, propose a good connection cache to amortize the costly security check over the packets in a connection, and report the preliminary performance results of a trace-driven simulation that show the average packet check time can be reduced by a factor of 2.5 at the least.

Quantum information versus black hole physics: deep firewalls from narrow assumptions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braunstein, Samuel L.; Pirandola, Stefano

2018-07-01

The prevalent view that evaporating black holes should simply be smaller black holes has been challenged by the firewall paradox. In particular, this paradox suggests that something different occurs once a black hole has evaporated to one-half its original surface area. Here, we derive variations of the firewall paradox by tracking the thermodynamic entropy within a black hole across its entire lifetime and extend it even to anti-de Sitter space-times. Our approach sweeps away many unnecessary assumptions, allowing us to demonstrate a paradox exists even after its initial onset (when conventional assumptions render earlier analyses invalid). The most natural resolution may be to accept firewalls as a real phenomenon. Further, the vast entropy accumulated implies a deep firewall that goes `all the way down' in contrast with earlier work describing only a structure at the horizon. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue `Foundations of quantum mechanics and their impact on contemporary society'.

Naked singularity, firewall, and Hawking radiation.

PubMed

Zhang, Hongsheng

2017-06-21

Spacetime singularity has always been of interest since the proof of the Penrose-Hawking singularity theorem. Naked singularity naturally emerges from reasonable initial conditions in the collapsing process. A recent interesting approach in black hole information problem implies that we need a firewall to break the surplus entanglements among the Hawking photons. Classically, the firewall becomes a naked singularity. We find some vacuum analytical solutions in R n -gravity of the firewall-type and use these solutions as concrete models to study the naked singularities. By using standard quantum theory, we investigate the Hawking radiation emitted from the black holes with naked singularities. Here we show that the singularity itself does not destroy information. A unitary quantum theory works well around a firewall-type singularity. We discuss the validity of our result in general relativity. Further our result demonstrates that the temperature of the Hawking radiation still can be expressed in the form of the surface gravity divided by 2π. This indicates that a naked singularity may not compromise the Hakwing evaporation process.

Quantum information versus black hole physics: deep firewalls from narrow assumptions.

PubMed

Braunstein, Samuel L; Pirandola, Stefano

2018-07-13

The prevalent view that evaporating black holes should simply be smaller black holes has been challenged by the firewall paradox. In particular, this paradox suggests that something different occurs once a black hole has evaporated to one-half its original surface area. Here, we derive variations of the firewall paradox by tracking the thermodynamic entropy within a black hole across its entire lifetime and extend it even to anti-de Sitter space-times. Our approach sweeps away many unnecessary assumptions, allowing us to demonstrate a paradox exists even after its initial onset (when conventional assumptions render earlier analyses invalid). The most natural resolution may be to accept firewalls as a real phenomenon. Further, the vast entropy accumulated implies a deep firewall that goes 'all the way down' in contrast with earlier work describing only a structure at the horizon.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Foundations of quantum mechanics and their impact on contemporary society'. © 2018 The Author(s).

Survey of Malware Threats and Recommendations to Improve Cybersecurity for Industrial Control Systems Version 1.0

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-02-01

not normally blocked by enterprise firewalls . • Some malware exploited zero-day vulnerabilities as well as attempted to exploit vulnerabilities for...servers, receiving updates, and exfiltrating data. Firewalls are routinely configured to block incoming connections while malware within a target...implemented with layers of technical security controls (e.g., ICS-aware firewalls ) to control network traffic and prevent the spread of malware . Intrusion

Detection of anomalous events

DOEpatents

Ferragut, Erik M.; Laska, Jason A.; Bridges, Robert A.

2016-06-07

A system is described for receiving a stream of events and scoring the events based on anomalousness and maliciousness (or other classification). The system can include a plurality of anomaly detectors that together implement an algorithm to identify low-probability events and detect atypical traffic patterns. The anomaly detector provides for comparability of disparate sources of data (e.g., network flow data and firewall logs.) Additionally, the anomaly detector allows for regulatability, meaning that the algorithm can be user configurable to adjust a number of false alerts. The anomaly detector can be used for a variety of probability density functions, including normal Gaussian distributions, irregular distributions, as well as functions associated with continuous or discrete variables.

14 CFR 29.1191 - Firewalls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... engine, including the combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engine installations, must be isolated by a firewall, shroud, or equivalent means, from personnel compartments, structures, controls...

14 CFR 29.1191 - Firewalls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... engine, including the combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engine installations, must be isolated by a firewall, shroud, or equivalent means, from personnel compartments, structures, controls...

14 CFR 29.1191 - Firewalls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... engine, including the combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engine installations, must be isolated by a firewall, shroud, or equivalent means, from personnel compartments, structures, controls...

14 CFR 29.1191 - Firewalls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... engine, including the combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engine installations, must be isolated by a firewall, shroud, or equivalent means, from personnel compartments, structures, controls...

14 CFR 29.1191 - Firewalls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... engine, including the combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engine installations, must be isolated by a firewall, shroud, or equivalent means, from personnel compartments, structures, controls...

14 CFR 27.1191 - Firewalls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... engine, including the combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engines must be isolated by a firewall, shroud, or equivalent means, from personnel compartments, structures, controls, rotor mechanisms...

14 CFR 27.1191 - Firewalls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... engine, including the combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engines must be isolated by a firewall, shroud, or equivalent means, from personnel compartments, structures, controls, rotor mechanisms...

14 CFR 27.1191 - Firewalls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... engine, including the combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engines must be isolated by a firewall, shroud, or equivalent means, from personnel compartments, structures, controls, rotor mechanisms...

14 CFR 27.1191 - Firewalls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... engine, including the combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engines must be isolated by a firewall, shroud, or equivalent means, from personnel compartments, structures, controls, rotor mechanisms...

14 CFR 27.1191 - Firewalls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... engine, including the combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engines must be isolated by a firewall, shroud, or equivalent means, from personnel compartments, structures, controls, rotor mechanisms...

Origin of Hawking radiation: firewall or atmosphere?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Wontae

2017-02-01

The Unruh vacuum not admitting any outgoing flux at the horizon implies that the origin of the outgoing Hawking radiation is the atmosphere of a near-horizon quantum region without resort to the firewall; however, the existence of the firewall of superplanckian excitations at the horizon can be supported by the infinite Tolman temperature at the horizon. In an exactly soluble model, we explicitly show that the firewall necessarily emerges out of the Unruh vacuum so that the Tolman temperature in the Unruh vacuum is divergent in essence due to the infinitely blueshifted negative ingoing flux crossing the horizon rather than the outgoing flux. We also show that the outgoing Hawking radiation in the Unruh vacuum indeed originates from the atmosphere, not just at the horizon, which is of no relevance to the infinite blueshift. Consequently, the firewall from the infinite Tolman temperature and the Hawking radiation from the atmosphere turn out to be compatible, once we waive the claim that the Hawking radiation in the Unruh vacuum originates from the infinitely blueshifted outgoing excitations at the horizon.

Methods for designing treatments to reduce interior noise of predominant sources and paths in a single engine light aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayden, Richard E.; Remington, Paul J.; Theobald, Mark A.; Wilby, John F.

1985-01-01

The sources and paths by which noise enters the cabin of a small single engine aircraft were determined through a combination of flight and laboratory tests. The primary sources of noise were found to be airborne noise from the propeller and engine casing, airborne noise from the engine exhaust, structureborne noise from the engine/propeller combination and noise associated with air flow over the fuselage. For the propeller, the primary airborne paths were through the firewall, windshield and roof. For the engine, the most important airborne path was through the firewall. Exhaust noise was found to enter the cabin primarily through the panels in the vicinity of the exhaust outlet although exhaust noise entering the cabin through the firewall is a distinct possibility. A number of noise control techniques were tried, including firewall stiffening to reduce engine and propeller airborne noise, to stage isolators and engine mounting spider stiffening to reduce structure-borne noise, and wheel well covers to reduce air flow noise.

Cold black holes in the Harlow–Hayden approach to firewalls

DOE PAGES

Ong, Yen Chin; McInnes, Brett; Chen, Pisin

2014-12-31

Firewalls are controversial principally because they seem to imply departures from general relativistic expectations in regions of spacetime where the curvature need not be particularly large. One of the virtues of the Harlow–Hayden approach to the firewall paradox, concerning the time available for decoding of Hawking radiation emanating from charged AdS black holes, is precisely that it operates in the context of cold black holes, which are not strongly curved outside the event horizon. Here we clarify this point. The approach is based on ideas borrowed from applications of the AdS/CFT correspondence to the quark–gluon plasma. Firewalls aside, our workmore » presents a detailed analysis of the thermodynamics and evolution of evaporating charged AdS black holes with flat event horizons. We show that, in one way or another, these black holes are always eventually destroyed in a time which, while long by normal standards, is short relative to the decoding time of Hawking radiation.« less

Develop a solution for protecting and securing enterprise networks from malicious attacks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamuru, Harshitha; Nijim, Mais

2014-05-01

In the world of computer and network security, there are myriad ways to launch an attack, which, from the perspective of a network, can usually be defined as "traffic that has huge malicious intent." Firewall acts as one of the measure in order to secure the device from incoming unauthorized data. There are infinite number of computer attacks that no firewall can prevent, such as those executed locally on the machine by a malicious user. From the network's perspective, there are numerous types of attack. All the attacks that degrade the effectiveness of data can be grouped into two types: brute force and precision. The Firewall that belongs to Juniper has the capability to protect against both types of attack. Denial of Service (DoS) attacks are one of the most well-known network security threats under brute force attacks, which is largely due to the high-profile way in which they can affect networks. Over the years, some of the largest, most respected Internet sites have been effectively taken offline by Denial of Service (DOS) attacks. A DoS attack typically has a singular focus, namely, to cause the services running on a particular host or network to become unavailable. Some DoS attacks exploit vulnerabilities in an operating system and cause it to crash, such as the infamous Win nuke attack. Others submerge a network or device with traffic so that there are no more resources to handle legitimate traffic. Precision attacks typically involve multiple phases and often involves a bit more thought than brute force attacks, all the way from reconnaissance to machine ownership. Before a precision attack is launched, information about the victim needs to be gathered. This information gathering typically takes the form of various types of scans to determine available hosts, networks, and ports. The hosts available on a network can be determined by ping sweeps. The available ports on a machine can be located by port scans. Screens cover a wide variety of attack traffic as they are configured on a per-zone basis. Depending on the type of screen being configured, there may be additional settings beyond simply blocking the traffic. Attack prevention is also a native function of any firewall. Juniper Firewall handles traffic on a per-flow basis. We can use flows or sessions as a way to determine whether traffic attempting to traverse the firewall is legitimate. We control the state-checking components resident in Juniper Firewall by configuring "flow" settings. These settings allow you to configure state checking for various conditions on the device. You can use flow settings to protect against TCP hijacking, and to generally ensure that the fire-wall is performing full state processing when desired. We take a case study of attack on a network and perform study of the detection of the malicious packets on a Net screen Firewall. A new solution for securing enterprise networks will be developed here.

14 CFR 25.1182 - Nacelle areas behind firewalls, and engine pod attaching structures containing flammable fluid...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... pod attaching structures containing flammable fluid lines. 25.1182 Section 25.1182 Aeronautics and..., and engine pod attaching structures containing flammable fluid lines. (a) Each nacelle area immediately behind the firewall, and each portion of any engine pod attaching structure containing flammable...

14 CFR 25.1182 - Nacelle areas behind firewalls, and engine pod attaching structures containing flammable fluid...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... pod attaching structures containing flammable fluid lines. 25.1182 Section 25.1182 Aeronautics and..., and engine pod attaching structures containing flammable fluid lines. (a) Each nacelle area immediately behind the firewall, and each portion of any engine pod attaching structure containing flammable...

STS-40 Columbia, OV-102, payload bay aft firewall and thermal insulation

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-06-14

STS040-31-029 (5-14 June 1991) --- This close-up 35mm scene of the aft firewall in the Space Shuttle Columbia's cargo bay reveals a piece of thermal insulation that had loosened. The crew discovered the loose blanket soon after opening the cargo bay doors on June 5, 1991.

STS-40 orbiter Columbia payload bay aft firewall and thermal insulation

NASA Image and Video Library

1999-06-09

STS040-031-030 (5-14 June 1991) --- Early on the first day of STS-40, the crew noticed that some of the thermal material on the aft firewall had loosened. They shot this 35mm frame of the area, which proved to pose no problems for the flight.

78 FR 55699 - Privacy Act of 1974; Proposed New Systems of Records

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-11

... FMC OIT staff at its Washington, DC headquarters. The FMC GSS is made up of servers, switches, gateways, and two firewall devices. The servers, switches, gateways, and firewall devices are physically... within the confines of FMC-39, FMC General Support System (FMC GSS) and FMC-41, FMC SQL Database (FMCDB...

75 FR 60669 - Airworthiness Directives; Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (Type Certificate Previously Held by...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-01

... rulemaking (NPRM). SUMMARY: We propose to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Model 400A... left and right pylon firewall structures, and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD results from reports of missing sealant on the left and right pylon firewall structures. We are proposing this...

32 CFR 700.846 - Status of logs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Officers Afloat § 700.846 Status of logs. The deck log, the engineering log, the compass record, the bearing hooks, the engineer's bell book, and any records generated by automated data logging equipment...

76 FR 3566 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Model 777-200 and -300 Series Airplanes Equipped...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-20

... hydraulic fluid contamination, which can cause cracking of titanium parts in the system disconnect assembly, resulting in compromise of the engine firewall. A cracked firewall can allow fire in the engine area to enter the strut and can lead to an uncontained engine strut fire if flammable fluid is present. Cracking...

76 FR 21822 - Airworthiness Directives; Empresa Brasileira de Aeronautica S.A. (EMBRAER) Model EMB-135ER...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-19

... [Brazilian] AD results from reports of cracking in the firewall of the auxiliary power unit (APU). This AD is... the APU. * * * * * The proposed AD would require actions that are intended to address the unsafe... reports of cracking in the firewall of the auxiliary power unit (APU). This AD is being issued to detect...

SEADE: Countering the Futility of Network Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

guards, and computer cages) and logical security measures (network firewall and intrusion detection). However, no matter how many layers of network...security built-in and with minimal security dependence on network security appliances (e.g., firewalls ). As Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter...based analysis that assumes nothing bad will happen to applications/data if those defenses prevent malware transactions at the entrance. The

Measuring Cyber Operations Effectiveness

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-01

are advanced firewalls capable of taking limited action to block malicious traffic or hacking attempts. Their capabilities vary widely and must be...using many automated tools, included in the defense hardware and software itself. These devices include hardware and software firewalls , Network...DoD networks are probed millions of times per day…the Air Force blocks roughly two billion threats and denies two million emails each week

Firewalls from double purity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bousso, Raphael

2013-10-01

The firewall paradox is often presented as arising from double entanglement, but I argue that more generally the paradox is double purity. Near-horizon modes are purified by the interior, in the infalling vacuum. Hence, they cannot also be pure alone, or in combination with any third system, as demanded by unitarity. This conflict arises independently of the Page time, for entangled and for pure states. It implies that identifications of Hilbert spaces cannot resolve the paradox. Traditional complementarity requires the unitary identification of infalling matter with a scrambled subsystem of the Hawking radiation. Extending this map to the infalling vacuum overdetermines the out-state. More general complementarity maps (“A=RB,” “ER=EPR”) necessarily fail when the near-horizon zone is pure. I argue that pure-zone states span the microcanonical ensemble, and that this suffices to make the horizon a special place. I advocate that the ability to detect the horizon locally, rather than the degree or probability of violence, is what makes firewalls problematic. Conversely, if the production of matter at the horizon can be dynamically understood and shown to be consistent, then firewalls do not constitute a violation of the equivalence principle.

Heavy-tailed distribution of the SSH Brute-force attack duration in a multi-user environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jae-Kook; Kim, Sung-Jun; Park, Chan Yeol; Hong, Taeyoung; Chae, Huiseung

2016-07-01

Quite a number of cyber-attacks to be place against supercomputers that provide highperformance computing (HPC) services to public researcher. Particularly, although the secure shell protocol (SSH) brute-force attack is one of the traditional attack methods, it is still being used. Because stealth attacks that feign regular access may occur, they are even harder to detect. In this paper, we introduce methods to detect SSH brute-force attacks by analyzing the server's unsuccessful access logs and the firewall's drop events in a multi-user environment. Then, we analyze the durations of the SSH brute-force attacks that are detected by applying these methods. The results of an analysis of about 10 thousands attack source IP addresses show that the behaviors of abnormal users using SSH brute-force attacks are based on human dynamic characteristics of a typical heavy-tailed distribution.

Qubit transport model for unitary black hole evaporation without firewalls*

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osuga, Kento; Page, Don N.

2018-03-01

We give an explicit toy qubit transport model for transferring information from the gravitational field of a black hole to the Hawking radiation by a continuous unitary transformation of the outgoing radiation and the black hole gravitational field. The model has no firewalls or other drama at the event horizon, and it avoids a counterargument that has been raised for subsystem transfer models as resolutions of the firewall paradox. Furthermore, it fits the set of six physical constraints that Giddings has proposed for models of black hole evaporation. It does utilize nonlocal qubits for the gravitational field but assumes that the radiation interacts locally with these nonlocal qubits, so in some sense the nonlocality is confined to the gravitational sector. Although the qubit model is too crude to be quantitatively correct for the detailed spectrum of Hawking radiation, it fits qualitatively with what is expected.

Violations of the equivalence principle by a nonlocally reconstructed vacuum at the black hole horizon.

PubMed

Bousso, Raphael

2014-01-31

If information escapes from an evaporating black hole, then field modes just outside the horizon must be thermally entangled with distant Hawking radiation. But for an infalling observer to find empty space at the horizon, the same modes would have to be entangled with the black hole interior. Thus, unitarity appears to require a "firewall" at the horizon. Identifying the interior with the distant radiation promises to resolve the entanglement conflict and restore the vacuum. But the map must adjust for any interactions, or else the firewall will reappear if the Hawking radiation scatters off the cosmic microwave background. Such a map produces a "frozen vacuum," a phenomenon that is arguably worse than a firewall. An infalling observer is unable to excite the vacuum near the horizon. This allows the horizon to be locally detected and so violates the equivalence principle.

Why firewalls need not exist

DOE PAGES

Nomura, Yasunori; Salzetta, Nico

2016-08-04

The firewall paradox for black holes is often viewed as indicating a conflict between unitarity and the equivalence principle. We elucidate how the paradox manifests as a limitation of semiclassical theory, rather than presents a conflict between fundamental principles. Two principal features of the fundamental and semiclassical theories address two versions of the paradox: the entanglement and typicality arguments. First, the physical Hilbert space describing excitations on a fixed black hole background in the semiclassical theory is exponentially smaller than the number of physical states in the fundamental theory of quantum gravity. Second, in addition to the Hilbert space formore » physical excitations, the semiclassical theory possesses an unphysically large Fock space built by creation and annihilation operators on the fixed black hole background. Understanding these features not only eliminates the necessity of firewalls but also leads to a new picture of Hawking emission contrasting pair creation at the horizon.« less

AEGIS: A Lightweight Firewall for Wireless Sensor Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hossain, Mohammad Sajjad; Raghunathan, Vijay

Firewalls are an essential component in today's networked computing systems (desktops, laptops, and servers) and provide effective protection against a variety of over-the-network security attacks. With the development of technologies such as IPv6 and 6LoWPAN that pave the way for Internet-connected embedded systems and sensor networks, these devices will soon be subject to (and need to be defended against) similar security threats. As a first step, this paper presents Aegis, a lightweight, rule-based firewall for networked embedded systems such as wireless sensor networks. Aegis is based on a semantically rich, yet simple, rule definition language. In addition, Aegis is highly efficient during operation, runs in a transparent manner from running applications, and is easy to maintain. Experimental results obtained using real sensor nodes and cycle-accurate simulations demonstrate that Aegis successfully performs gatekeeping of a sensor node's communication traffic in a flexible manner with minimal overheads.

Feature-based alert correlation in security systems using self organizing maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Munesh; Siddique, Shoaib; Noor, Humera

2009-04-01

The security of the networks has been an important concern for any organization. This is especially important for the defense sector as to get unauthorized access to the sensitive information of an organization has been the prime desire for cyber criminals. Many network security techniques like Firewall, VPN Concentrator etc. are deployed at the perimeter of network to deal with attack(s) that occur(s) from exterior of network. But any vulnerability that causes to penetrate the network's perimeter of defense, can exploit the entire network. To deal with such vulnerabilities a system has been evolved with the purpose of generating an alert for any malicious activity triggered against the network and its resources, termed as Intrusion Detection System (IDS). The traditional IDS have still some deficiencies like generating large number of alerts, containing both true and false one etc. By automatically classifying (correlating) various alerts, the high-level analysis of the security status of network can be identified and the job of network security administrator becomes much easier. In this paper we propose to utilize Self Organizing Maps (SOM); an Artificial Neural Network for correlating large amount of logged intrusion alerts based on generic features such as Source/Destination IP Addresses, Port No, Signature ID etc. The different ways in which alerts can be correlated by Artificial Intelligence techniques are also discussed. . We've shown that the strategy described in the paper improves the efficiency of IDS by better correlating the alerts, leading to reduced false positives and increased competence of network administrator.

Control System Applicable Use Assessment of the Secure Computing Corporation - Secure Firewall (Sidewinder)

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

Hadley, Mark D.; Clements, Samuel L.

2009-01-01

Battelle’s National Security & Defense objective is, “applying unmatched expertise and unique facilities to deliver homeland security solutions. From detection and protection against weapons of mass destruction to emergency preparedness/response and protection of critical infrastructure, we are working with industry and government to integrate policy, operational, technological, and logistical parameters that will secure a safe future”. In an ongoing effort to meet this mission, engagements with industry that are intended to improve operational and technical attributes of commercial solutions that are related to national security initiatives are necessary. This necessity will ensure that capabilities for protecting critical infrastructure assets aremore » considered by commercial entities in their development, design, and deployment lifecycles thus addressing the alignment of identified deficiencies and improvements needed to support national cyber security initiatives. The Secure Firewall (Sidewinder) appliance by Secure Computing was assessed for applicable use in critical infrastructure control system environments, such as electric power, nuclear and other facilities containing critical systems that require augmented protection from cyber threat. The testing was performed in the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory’s (PNNL) Electric Infrastructure Operations Center (EIOC). The Secure Firewall was tested in a network configuration that emulates a typical control center network and then evaluated. A number of observations and recommendations are included in this report relating to features currently included in the Secure Firewall that support critical infrastructure security needs.« less

Browsing the World Wide Web from behind a firewall

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

Simons, R.W.

1995-02-01

The World Wide Web provides a unified method of access to various information services on the Internet via a variety of protocols. Mosaic and other browsers give users a graphical interface to the Web that is easier to use and more visually pleasing than any other common Internet information service today. The availability of information via the Web and the number of users accessing it have both grown rapidly in the last year. The interest and investment of commercial firms in this technology suggest that in the near future, access to the Web may become as necessary to doing businessmore » as a telephone. This is problematical for organizations that use firewalls to protect their internal networks from the Internet. Allowing all the protocols and types of information found in the Web to pass their firewall will certainly increase the risk of attack by hackers on the Internet. But not allowing access to the Web could be even more dangerous, as frustrated users of the internal network are either unable to do their jobs, or find creative new ways to get around the firewall. The solution to this dilemma adopted at Sandia National Laboratories is described. Discussion also covers risks of accessing the Web, design alternatives considered, and trade-offs used to find the proper balance between access and protection.« less

Alternatives to the ACA's Affordability Firewall.

PubMed

Nowak, Sarah A; Saltzman, Evan; Cordova, Amado

2016-05-09

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was designed to increase health insurance coverage while limiting the disruption to individuals with existing sources of insurance coverage, particularly those with employer-sponsored insurance (ESI). To limit disruption to those with coverage, the ACA implements the employer mandate, which requires firms with more than 50 employees to offer health insurance or face penalties, and the individual "affordability firewall," which limits subsidies to individuals lacking access to alternative sources of coverage that are "affordable." This article examines the policy impacts of the affordability firewall and investigates two potential modifications. Option 1, which is the "entire family" scenario, involves allowing an exception to the firewall for anyone in a family where the family ESI premium contribution exceeds 9.5 percent of the worker's household income. In Option 2, the "dependents only" scenario, only dependents (and not the worker) become eligible for Marketplace subsidies when the ESI premium contribution exceeds 9.5 percent of the worker's household income. Relative to the ACA, RAND researchers estimate that nongroup enrollment will increase by 4.1 million for Option 1 and by 1.4 million for Option 2. However, the number without insurance only declines by 1.5 million in Option 1 and 0.7 million in Option 2. The difference between the increase in nongroup enrollment and the decrease in uninsurance is primarily due to ESI crowd-out, which is more pronounced for Option 1. Researchers also estimated that about 1.3 million families who have ESI and unsubsidized nongroup coverage under current ACA policy would receive Marketplace subsidies under the alternative affordability firewall scenarios. For these families, health insurance coverage would become substantially more affordable; these families' risk of spending at least 20 percent of income on health care would drop by more than two thirds. We additionally estimated that federal spending will increase by $8.9 billion and $3.9 billion for Options 1 and 2, respectively, relative to the ACA.

On the implementation of IP protection using biometrics based information hiding and firewall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu, Abhishek; Nandy, Kingshuk; Banerjee, Avishek; Giri, Supratick; Sarkar, Souvik; Sarkar, Subir Kumar

2016-02-01

System-on-chip-based design style creates a revolution in very large scale integration industry with design efficiency, operating speed and development time. To support this process, reuse and exchange of components are essential in electronic form called intellectual property (IP). This, however, increases the possibility of encroachment of IP of the design. So copyright protection of IP against piracy is the most important concern for IP vendors. The existing solutions for IP protection are still not secure enough with flexibility, cost, etc. This paper proposes an information-hiding-based solution for IP protection by embedding a biometric copyright information and firewall inside an IP in the form of a finite state machine with unique configuration. The scheme first introduces biometric signature-based copyright as ownership proof. Second, firewall interrupts the normal functionality of IP at the end of the user time period. The experimental outcomes of field-programmable-gate-array implementation illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method.

The fall of the black hole firewall: natural nonmaximal entanglement for the Page curve

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hotta, Masahiro; Sugita, Ayumu

2015-12-01

The black hole firewall conjecture is based on the Page curve hypothesis, which claims that entanglement between a black hole and its Hawking radiation is almost maximum. Adopting canonical typicality for nondegenerate systems with nonvanishing Hamiltonians, we show the entanglement becomes nonmaximal, and energetic singularities (firewalls) do not emerge for general systems. An evaporating old black hole must evolve in Gibbs states with exponentially small error probability after the Page time as long as the states are typical. This means that the ordinarily used microcanonical states are far from typical. The heat capacity computed from the Gibbs states should be nonnegative in general. However, the black hole heat capacity is actually negative due to the gravitational instability. Consequently the states are not typical until the last burst. This requires inevitable modification of the Page curve, which is based on the typicality argument. For static thermal pure states of a large AdS black hole and its Hawking radiation, the entanglement entropy equals the thermal entropy of the smaller system.

The Black Hole Firewall and Top-Down Constructions of AdS/CFT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almheiri, Ahmed Eid Khamis Thani

In the first part of this dissertation we argue that the following statements cannot be all true: (i) Black hole formation and evaporation is a unitary process as viewed by external observers, (ii) Physics outside some microscopic distance away from the event horizon is described by local effective quantum field theory, (iii) A black hole is a quantum system with a finite number of states given by the exponential of the Bekenstein Hawking entropy, and (iv) An infalling observer's experience in the vicinity of the horizon is well described by local effective quantum field theory in the infalling reference frame. We argue that the most conservative resolution is that an infalling observer will see drastic violations of effective field theory far away from the singularity, and encounter high energy quanta, a firewall, just behind the black hole event horizon. We address counter proposals to the firewall which involve, in one way or another, radical modifications of quantum mechanics or locality, and argue that they are unsatisfactory in their current formulation. We conclude this part with an investigation into the existence of firewalls in the two dimensional Einstein-dilaton gravity model of CGHS. We find that black holes in such models do not develop firewalls, but rather evaporate down to form small mass remnants. We elaborate on why this is inevitable in two dimensions and argue against a similar conclusion in higher dimensions. In the second part of this dissertation we construct AdS2 and AdS3 magnetic brane solutions within the abelian truncations of AdS4 x orbifolded S7 and AdS5 x S5 supergravity. We find a class of supersymmetric solutions of the bulk theory to assure stability. We perform a preliminary analysis demonstrating the stability of some nonsupersymmetric embeddings. We identify the dual field theory and compare the thermal entropies across the duality. We end with an investigatation into the effects of backreaction on holography in AdS2. We study a classically solvable toy model that contains an IR AdS2 throat, and find that backreaction behaves as a strongly relevant perturbation deep in the AdS2 region.

Personal computer security: part 1. Firewalls, antivirus software, and Internet security suites.

PubMed

Caruso, Ronald D

2003-01-01

Personal computer (PC) security in the era of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) involves two interrelated elements: safeguarding the basic computer system itself and protecting the information it contains and transmits, including personal files. HIPAA regulations have toughened the requirements for securing patient information, requiring every radiologist with such data to take further precautions. Security starts with physically securing the computer. Account passwords and a password-protected screen saver should also be set up. A modern antivirus program can easily be installed and configured. File scanning and updating of virus definitions are simple processes that can largely be automated and should be performed at least weekly. A software firewall is also essential for protection from outside intrusion, and an inexpensive hardware firewall can provide yet another layer of protection. An Internet security suite yields additional safety. Regular updating of the security features of installed programs is important. Obtaining a moderate degree of PC safety and security is somewhat inconvenient but is necessary and well worth the effort. Copyright RSNA, 2003

[Network Design of the Spaceport Command and Control System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teijeiro, Antonio

2017-01-01

I helped the Launch Control System (LCS) hardware team sustain the network design of the Spaceport Command and Control System. I wrote the procedure that will be used to satisfy an official hardware test for the hardware carrying data from the Launch Vehicle. I installed hardware and updated design documents in support of the ongoing development of the Spaceport Command and Control System and applied firewall experience I gained during my spring 2017 semester to inspect and create firewall security policies as requested. Finally, I completed several online courses concerning networking fundamentals and Unix operating systems.

Quantum-corrected Geometry of Horizon Vicinity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park, I. Y.

2017-12-01

We study the deformation of the horizon-vicinity geometry caused by quantum gravitational effects. Departure from the semi-classical picture is noted, and the fact that the matter part of the action comes at a higher order in Newton's constant than does the Einstein-Hilbert term is crucial for the departure. The analysis leads to a Firewall-type energy measured by an infalling observer for which quantum generation of the cosmological constant is critical. The analysis seems to suggest that the Firewall should be a part of such deformation and that the information be stored both in the horizon-vicinity and asymptotic boundary region. We also examine the behavior near the cosmological horizon.

No firewalls in quantum gravity: the role of discreteness of quantum geometry in resolving the information loss paradox

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perez, Alejandro

2015-04-01

In an approach to quantum gravity where space-time arises from coarse graining of fundamentally discrete structures, black hole formation and subsequent evaporation can be described by a unitary evolution without the problems encountered by the standard remnant scenario or the schemes where information is assumed to come out with the radiation during evaporation (firewalls and complementarity). The final state is purified by correlations with the fundamental pre-geometric structures (in the sense of Wheeler), which are available in such approaches, and, like defects in the underlying space-time weave, can carry zero energy.

NetWall distributed firewall in the use of campus network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Junhua; Zhang, Pengshuai

2011-10-01

Internet provides a modern means of education but also non-mainstream consciousness and poor dissemination of information opens the door, network and moral issues have become prominent, poor dissemination of information and network spread rumors and negative effects of new problems, ideological and political education in schools had a huge impact, poses a severe challenge. This paper presents a distributed firewall will NetWall deployed in a campus network solution. The characteristics of the campus network, using technology to filter out bad information on the means of control, of sensitive information related to the record, establish a complete information security management platform for the campus network.

Open Source Service Agent (OSSA) in the intelligence community's Open Source Architecture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fiene, Bruce F.

1994-01-01

The Community Open Source Program Office (COSPO) has developed an architecture for the intelligence community's new Open Source Information System (OSIS). The architecture is a multi-phased program featuring connectivity, interoperability, and functionality. OSIS is based on a distributed architecture concept. The system is designed to function as a virtual entity. OSIS will be a restricted (non-public), user configured network employing Internet communications. Privacy and authentication will be provided through firewall protection. Connection to OSIS can be made through any server on the Internet or through dial-up modems provided the appropriate firewall authentication system is installed on the client.

Black hole field theory with a firewall in two spacetime dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho, C. T. Marco; Su, Daiqin; Mann, Robert B.; Ralph, Timothy C.

2016-10-01

We propose that the vacuum state of a scalar field around a black hole is a modified Unruh vacuum. In (1 +1 ) dimensions, we show that a free-faller close to such an horizon can be modeled as an inertial observer in a modified Minkowski vacuum. The modification allows for information-leaking correlations at high frequencies. Using a Gaussian detector centered at k0, we find that the expectation value of the number operator for a detector crossing the horizon is proportional to 1 /|k0|, implying that the free-faller will observe unbounded numbers of high-energy photons, i.e. a firewall.

Multipartite entanglement and firewalls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Shengqiao; Stoltenberg, Henry; Albrecht, Andreas

2017-03-01

Black holes offer an exciting area to explore the nature of quantum gravity. The classic work on Hawking radiation indicates that black holes should decay via quantum effects, but our ideas about how this might work at a technical level are incomplete. Recently Almheiri-Marolf-Polchinski-Sully (AMPS) have noted an apparent paradox in reconciling fundamental properties of quantum mechanics with standard beliefs about black holes. One way to resolve the paradox is to postulate the existence of a "firewall" inside the black hole horizon which prevents objects from falling smoothly toward the singularity. A fundamental limitation on the behavior of quantum entanglement known as "monogamy" plays a key role in the AMPS argument. Our goal is to study and apply many-body entanglement theory to consider the entanglement among different parts of Hawking radiation and black holes. Using the multipartite entanglement measure called negativity, we identify an example which could change the AMPS accounting of quantum entanglement and perhaps eliminate the need for a firewall. Specifically, we constructed a toy model for black hole decay which has different entanglement behavior than that assumed by AMPS. We discuss the additional steps that would be needed to bring lessons from our toy model to our understanding of realistic black holes.

Safe Grid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chow, Edward T.; Stewart, Helen; Korsmeyer, David (Technical Monitor)

2003-01-01

The biggest users of GRID technologies came from the science and technology communities. These consist of government, industry and academia (national and international). The NASA GRID is moving into a higher technology readiness level (TRL) today; and as a joint effort among these leaders within government, academia, and industry, the NASA GRID plans to extend availability to enable scientists and engineers across these geographical boundaries collaborate to solve important problems facing the world in the 21 st century. In order to enable NASA programs and missions to use IPG resources for program and mission design, the IPG capabilities needs to be accessible from inside the NASA center networks. However, because different NASA centers maintain different security domains, the GRID penetration across different firewalls is a concern for center security people. This is the reason why some IPG resources are been separated from the NASA center network. Also, because of the center network security and ITAR concerns, the NASA IPG resource owner may not have full control over who can access remotely from outside the NASA center. In order to obtain organizational approval for secured remote access, the IPG infrastructure needs to be adapted to work with the NASA business process. Improvements need to be made before the IPG can be used for NASA program and mission development. The Secured Advanced Federated Environment (SAFE) technology is designed to provide federated security across NASA center and NASA partner's security domains. Instead of one giant center firewall which can be difficult to modify for different GRID applications, the SAFE "micro security domain" provide large number of professionally managed "micro firewalls" that can allow NASA centers to accept remote IPG access without the worry of damaging other center resources. The SAFE policy-driven capability-based federated security mechanism can enable joint organizational and resource owner approved remote access from outside of NASA centers. A SAFE enabled IPG can enable IPG capabilities to be available to NASA mission design teams across different NASA center and partner company firewalls. This paper will first discuss some of the potential security issues for IPG to work across NASA center firewalls. We will then present the SAFE federated security model. Finally we will present the concept of the architecture of a SAFE enabled IPG and how it can benefit NASA mission development.

Before Inflation and after Black Holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoltenberg, Henry

This dissertation covers work from three research projects relating to the physics before the start of inflation and information after the decay of a black hole. For the first project, we analyze the cosmological role of terminal vacua in the string theory landscape, and point out that existing work on this topic makes very strong assumptions about the properties of the terminal vacua. We explore the implications of relaxing these assumptions (by including "arrival" as well as "departure" terminals) and demonstrate that the results in earlier work are highly sensitive to their assumption of no arrival terminals. We use our discussion to make some general points about tuning and initial conditions in cosmology. The second project is a discussion of the black hole information problem. Under certain conditions the black hole information puzzle and the (related) arguments that firewalls are a typical feature of black holes can break down. We first review the arguments of Almheiri, Marolf, Polchinski and Sully (AMPS) favoring firewalls, focusing on entanglements in a simple toy model for a black hole and the Hawking radiation. By introducing a large and inaccessible system entangled with the black hole (representing perhaps a de Sitter stretched horizon or inaccessible part of a landscape) we show complementarity can be restored and firewalls can be avoided throughout the black hole's evolution. Under these conditions black holes do not have an "information problem". We point out flaws in some of our earlier arguments that such entanglement might be generically present in some cosmological scenarios, and call out certain ways our picture may still be realized. The third project also examines the firewall argument. A fundamental limitation on the behavior of quantum entanglement known as "monogamy" plays a key role in the AMPS argument. Our goal is to study and apply many-body entanglement theory to consider the entanglement among different parts of Hawking radiation and black holes. Using the multipartite entanglement measure called negativity, we identify an example which differs from the AMPS accounting of quantum entanglement and might eliminate the need for a firewall. Specifically, we constructed a toy model for black hole decay which has different entanglement behavior than that assumed by AMPS. We discuss the additional steps that would be needed to bring lessons from our toy model to our understanding of realistic black holes.

A cost-effective add-on-value card-assisted firewall over Taiwan's NHI VPN framework.

PubMed

Huang, Jyh-Win; Hou, Ting-Wei

2007-06-01

Besides the overall budget for building the infrastructure of a healthcare-service-based virtual private network (VPN) in Taiwan, two issues were considered critical for its acceptance by the country's 17,000 plus medical institutions. One was who was to pay for the network (ADSL or modem) connection fee; the other was who was to pay for the firewall/anti-virus software. This paper addresses the second issue by proposing an efficient freeware firewall, named card-assisted firewall (CAF), for NHI VPN edge-hosts, which is also an add-on-value application of the National Healthcare IC card that every insurant and medical professional has. The innovative concept is that any NHI VPN site (edge-host) can establish diversified secure-authenticated connections with other sites only by an authentication mechanism, which requires a NHI Java card state machine and the Access Control List of the host. It is different from two-factor authentication cards in four ways: (1) a PIN code is not a must; (2) it requires authentication with the remote IC card Data Centre; (3) the NHI cards are already available, no modification is needed, and there is no further cost for the deployment of the cards; (4) although the cards are in the reader, the communication cannot start unless the cards are in the corresponding states; i.e. the states allow communication. An implementation, on a Microsoft Windows XP platform, demonstrated the system's feasibility over an emulation of the NHI VPN framework. It maintained a high line speed, the driver took up 39 KB of disk space, installation was simple, not requiring any extra hardware or software, and the average packet processing time of the CAF driver measured was 0.3084 ms. The average overhead in comparing the Access Control List predefined routing in card, in an FTP testing experiment, was 5.7 micros (receiving) and 8 micros (sending).

Network gateway security method for enterprise Grid: a literature review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sujarwo, A.; Tan, J.

2017-03-01

The computational Grid has brought big computational resources closer to scientists. It enables people to do a large computational job anytime and anywhere without any physical border anymore. However, the massive and spread of computer participants either as user or computational provider arise problems in security. The challenge is on how the security system, especially the one which filters data in the gateway could works in flexibility depends on the registered Grid participants. This paper surveys what people have done to approach this challenge, in order to find the better and new method for enterprise Grid. The findings of this paper is the dynamically controlled enterprise firewall to secure the Grid resources from unwanted connections with a new firewall controlling method and components.

Combined Log Inventory and Process Simulation Models for the Planning and Control of Sawmill Operations

Treesearch

Guillermo A. Mendoza; Roger J. Meimban; Philip A. Araman; William G. Luppold

1991-01-01

A log inventory model and a real-time hardwood process simulation model were developed and combined into an integrated production planning and control system for hardwood sawmills. The log inventory model was designed to monitor and periodically update the status of the logs in the log yard. The process simulation model was designed to estimate various sawmill...

Multipartite Entanglement And Firewalls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Shengqiao; Stoltenberg, Henry; Albrecht, Andreas

2016-03-01

Black holes offer an exciting area to explore the nature of quantum gravity. The classic work on Hawking radiation indicates that black holes should decay via quantum effects, but our ideas about how this might work at a technical level are incomplete. Recently Almheiri-Marolf-Polchinski-Sully AMPS have noted an apparent paradox in reconciling fundamental properties of quantum mechanics with standard beliefs about black holes. One way to resolve the paradox is to postulate the existence of a ``firewall'' inside the black hole horizon which prevents objects from falling smoothly toward the singularity. A fundamental limitation on the behavior of quantum entanglement known as ``monogamy'' plays a key role in the AMPS argument. Our goal is to study and apply many-body entanglement theory to consider the entanglement among different parts of Hawking radiation and black holes. We identified an example which could change the AMPS accounting of quantum entanglement and perhaps eliminating the need for a firewall. Looking at different many body entanglement measures and their monogamy properties can tell us subtle ways in which different subsystems can share their entanglement. Specific measures we consider include negativity, concurrence, and mutual information. Taking insights from these different measures, we constructed toy models for black hole decay which have different entanglement behaviors than those assumed by AMPS. We hope to use our effective toy model to demonstrate interesting new ways of thinking about black holes.

High-end Home Firewalls CIAC-2326

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

Orvis, W

Networking in most large organizations is protected with corporate firewalls and managed by seasoned security professionals. Attempts to break into systems at these organizations are extremely difficult to impossible for an external intruder. With the growth in networking and the options that it makes possible, new avenues of intrusion are opening up. Corporate machines exist that are completely unprotected against intrusions, that are not managed by a security professional, and that are regularly connected to the company network. People have the option of and are encouraged to work at home using a home computer linked to the company network. Managersmore » have home computers linked to internal machines so they can keep an eye on internal processes while not physically at work. Researchers do research or writing at home and connect to the company network to download information and upload results. In most cases, these home computers are completely unprotected, except for any protection that the home user might have installed. Unfortunately, most home users are not security professionals and home computers are often used by other family members, such as children downloading music, who are completely unconcerned about security precautions. When these computers are connected to the company network, they can easily introduce viruses, worms, and other malicious code or open a channel behind the company firewall for an external intruder.« less

Firewall Traversal for CORBA Applications Using an Implementation of Bidirectional IIOP in MICO

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Griffin, Robert I.; Lopez, Isaac (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

The Object Management Group (OMG) has added specifications to the General Inter-ORB Protocol (GIOP 1.2), specifically the Internet Inter-ORB Protocol (IIOP 1.2), that allow servers and clients on opposing sides of a firewall to reverse roles and still communicate freely. This addition to the GIOP specifications is referred to as Bidirectional GIOP. The implementation of these specifications as applied to communication over TCP/IP connections is referred to as 'Bidirectional Internet Inter-ORB Protocol' or BiDirIIOP. This paper details the implementation and testing of the BiDirIIOP Specification in an open source ORB, MICO, that did not previously support Bidirectional GIOP. It also provides simple contextual information and a description of the OMG GIOP/IIOP messaging protocols.

15 CFR 762.3 - Records exempt from recordkeeping requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...; (2) Special export file list; (3) Vessel log from freight forwarder; (4) Inspection certificate; (5... form; (12) Financial hold form; (13) Export parts shipping problem form; (14) Draft number log; (15) Expense invoice mailing log; (16) Financial status report; (17) Bank release of guarantees; (18) Cash...

15 CFR 762.3 - Records exempt from recordkeeping requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...; (2) Special export file list; (3) Vessel log from freight forwarder; (4) Inspection certificate; (5... form; (12) Financial hold form; (13) Export parts shipping problem form; (14) Draft number log; (15) Expense invoice mailing log; (16) Financial status report; (17) Bank release of guarantees; (18) Cash...

Master Console System Monitoring and Control Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brooks, Russell A.

2013-01-01

The Master Console internship during the spring of 2013 involved the development of firing room displays at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC). This position was with the Master Console Product Group (MCPG) on the Launch Control System (LCS) project. This project is responsible for the System Monitoring and Control (SMC) and Record and Retrieval (R&R) of launch operations data. The Master Console is responsible for: loading the correct software into each of the remaining consoles in the firing room, connecting the proper data paths to and from the launch vehicle and all ground support equipment, and initializing the entire firing room system to begin processing. During my internship, I developed a system health and status display for use by Master Console Operators (MCO) to monitor and verify the integrity of the servers, gateways, network switches, and firewalls used in the firing room.

Privacy, confidentiality, and security in information systems of state health agencies.

PubMed

O'Brien, D G; Yasnoff, W A

1999-05-01

To assess the employment and status of privacy, confidentiality, security and fair information practices in electronic information systems of U.S. state health agencies. A survey instrument was developed and administered to key contacts within the state health agencies of each of the 50 U.S. states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. About a third of U.S. state health agencies have no written policies in place regarding privacy and confidentiality in electronic information systems. The doctrines of fair information practice often seemed to be ignored. One quarter of the agencies reported at least one security breach during the past two years, and 16% experienced a privacy and confidentiality related transgression. Most of the breaches were committed by personnel from within the agencies. These results raise questions about the integrity of existing privacy, confidentiality and security measures in the information systems of U.S. state health agencies. Recommendations include the development and vigorous enforcement of written privacy and confidentiality policies, increased personnel training, and expanded implementation of security measures such as encryption and system firewalls. A discussion of the current status of U.S. privacy, confidentiality and security issues is offered.

Survey of methods for secure connection to the internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsui, Shouichi

1994-04-01

This paper describes a study of a security method of protecting inside network computers against outside miscreants and unwelcome visitors and a control method when these computers are connected with the Internet. In the present Internet, a method to encipher all data cannot be used, so that it is necessary to utilize PEM (Privacy Enhanced Mail) capable of the encipherment and conversion of secret information. For preventing miscreant access by eavesdropping password, one-time password is effective. The most cost-effective method is a firewall system. This system lies between the outside and inside network. By limiting computers that directly communicate with the Internet, control is centralized and inside network security is protected. If the security of firewall systems is strictly controlled under correct setting, security within the network can be secured even in open networks such as the Internet.

Firewall or smooth horizon?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ori, Amos

2016-01-01

Almheiri, Marolf, Polchinski, and Sully pointed out that for a sufficiently old black hole (BH), the set of assumptions known as the complementarity postulates appears to be inconsistent with the assumption of local regularity at the horizon. They concluded that the horizon of an old BH is likely to be the locus of local irregularity, a "firewall". Here I point out that if one adopts a different assumption, namely that semiclassical physics holds throughout its anticipated domain of validity, then the inconsistency is avoided, and the horizon retains its regularity. In this alternative view-point, the vast portion of the original BH information remains trapped inside the BH throughout the semiclassical domain of evaporation, and possibly leaks out later on. This appears to be an inevitable outcome of semiclassical gravity (if assumed to apply throughout its anticipated domain of validity).

The Firewall Transformation for Black Holes and Some of Its Implications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

't Hooft, Gerard

2017-12-01

A promising strategy for better understanding space and time at the Planck scale, is outlined and further pursued. It is explained in detail, how black hole unitarity demands the existence of transformations that can remove firewalls. This must then be combined with a continuity condition on the horizon, with antipodal identification as an inevitable consequence. The antipodal identification comes with a it{CPT} inversion. We claim to have arrived at `new physics', but rather than string theory, our `new physics' concerns new constraints on the topology and the boundary conditions of general coordinate transformations. The resulting theory is conceptually quite non trivial, and more analysis is needed. A strong entanglement between Hawking particles at opposite sides of the black hole is suspected, but questions remain. A few misconceptions concerning black holes, originating from older investigations, are discussed.

Approaches to emergent spacetime in gauge/gravity duality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sully, James Kenneth

2013-08-01

In this thesis we explore approaches to emergent local spacetime in gauge/gravity duality. We first conjecture that every CFT with a large-N type limit and a parametrically large gap in the spectrum of single-trace operators has a local bulk dual. We defend this conjecture by counting consistent solutions to the four-point function in simple scalar models and matching to the number of local interaction terms in the bulk. Next, we proceed to explicitly construct local bulk operators using smearing functions. We argue that this construction allows one to probe inside black hole horizons for only short times. We then suggest that the failure to construct bulk operators inside a black hole at late times is indicative of a break-down of local effective field theory at the black hole horizon. We argue that the postulates of black hole complementarity are inconsistent and cannot be realized within gauge/gravity duality. We argue that the most conservative solution is a firewall at the black hole horizon and we critically explore alternative resolutions. We then examine the CGHS model of two-dimensional gravity to look for dynamical formation of firewalls. We find that the CGHS model does not exhibit firewalls, but rather contains long-lived remnants. We argue that, while this is consistent for the CGHS model, it cannot be so in higher-dimensional theories of gravity. Lastly, we turn to F-theory, and detail local and global obstructions to writing elliptic fibrations in Tate form. We determine more general possible forms.

Black hole remnants and the information loss paradox

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, P.; Ong, Y. C.; Yeom, D.-h.

2015-11-01

Forty years after the discovery of Hawking radiation, its exact nature remains elusive. If Hawking radiation does not carry any information out from the ever shrinking black hole, it seems that unitarity is violated once the black hole completely evaporates. On the other hand, attempts to recover information via quantum entanglement lead to the firewall controversy. Amid the confusions, the possibility that black hole evaporation stops with a "remnant" has remained unpopular and is often dismissed due to some "undesired properties" of such an object. Nevertheless, as in any scientific debate, the pros and cons of any proposal must be carefully scrutinized. We fill in the void of the literature by providing a timely review of various types of black hole remnants, and provide some new thoughts regarding the challenges that black hole remnants face in the context of the information loss paradox and its latest incarnation, namely the firewall controversy. The importance of understanding the role of curvature singularity is also emphasized, after all there remains a possibility that the singularity cannot be cured even by quantum gravity. In this context a black hole remnant conveniently serves as a cosmic censor. We conclude that a remnant remains a possible end state of Hawking evaporation, and if it contains large interior geometry, may help to ameliorate the information loss paradox and the firewall controversy. We hope that this will raise some interests in the community to investigate remnants more critically but also more thoroughly.

The effect of storage conditions on the hygiene and sensory status of wild boar meat.

PubMed

Borilova, G; Hulankova, R; Svobodova, I; Jezek, F; Hutarova, Z; Vecerek, V; Steinhauserova, I

2016-08-01

The aim of this study was to compare hygiene status of wild boar meat (shoulder and leg) stored up to 21days at 0°C, 7°C or 15°C. The microbial counts increased gradually in the expected sequence of increasing storage temperatures, with TVC at the end of storage ranging from approx. 2logCFU/g (0°C) to 5logCFU/g (15°C). The lactic acid bacteria and psychrotrophic microflora didn't exceed 2logCFU/g and 2.5logCFU/g, respectively. Whereas odor of the meat stored at 0°C and 7°C was still acceptable at the end of storage, the odor of the meat stored at 15°C was barely acceptable after only 7d of storage and also the content of ammonia was significantly higher. Game meat obtained from animals hunted in the correct way and stored at low temperatures had good microbiological and hygiene status which could be maintained for more than 15days of storage. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Guidelines for Network Security in the Learning Environment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Littman, Marlyn Kemper

1996-01-01

Explores security challenges and practical approaches to safeguarding school networks against invasion. Highlights include security problems; computer viruses; privacy assaults; Internet invasions; building a security policy; authentication; passwords; encryption; firewalls; and acceptable use policies. (Author/LRW)

Readout Electronics for BGO Calorimeter of DAMPE: Status during the First Half-year after Launching

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Siyuan; Feng, Changqing; Zhang, Deliang; Wang, Qi

2016-07-01

The DAMPE (DArk Matter Particle Explorer) is a scientic satellite which was successfully launched into a 500 Km sun-synchronous orbit, on December 17th, 2015, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center of China. The major scientific objective of DAMPE mission is indirect searching for dark matter by observing high energy primary cosmic rays, especially positrons/electrons and gamma rays with an energy range from 5 GeV to 10 TeV. The BGO (Bismuth Germanate Oxide) calorimeter, which is a critical sub-detector of DAMPE payload, was developed for measuring the energy of cosmic particles, distinguishing positrons/electrons and gamma rays from hadron background, and providing trigger information. It is composed of 308 BGO crystal logs, with the size of 2.5cm*2.5cm*60cm for each log to form a total absorption electromagnetic calorimeter. All the BGO logs are stacked in 14 layers, with each layer consisting of 22 BGO crystal logs and each log is viewed by two Hamamatsu R5610A PMTs (photomultiplier tubes), from both sides respectively. Each PMT incorporates a three dynode pick off to achieve a large dynamic range, which results in 616 PMTs and 1848 signal channels. The main function of readout electronics system, which consists of 16 FEE(Front End Electronics) modules, is to precisely measure the charge of PMT signals and providing "hit" signals. The hit signals are sent to the trigger module of PDPU (Payload Data Process Unit) to generate triggers for the payload. The calibration of the BGO calorimeter is composed of pedestal testing and electronic linear scale, which are executed frequently in the space after launching. The data of the testing is transmitted to ground station in the form of scientific data. The monitor status consists of temperature, current and status words of the FEE, which are measured and recorded every 16 seconds and packed in the engineering data, then transmitted to ground station. The status of the BGO calorimeter can be evaluated by the calibration and monitor status. The preliminary results of the status in the first six month after launching are introduced in this paper.

SpaceOps 2012 Plus 2: Social Tools to Simplify ISS Flight Control Communications and Log Keeping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowart, Hugh S.; Scott, David W.

2014-01-01

A paper written for the SpaceOps 2012 Conference (Simplify ISS Flight Control Communications and Log Keeping via Social Tools and Techniques) identified three innovative concepts for real time flight control communications tools based on social mechanisms: a) Console Log Tool (CoLT) - A log keeping application at Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC) Payload Operations Integration Center (POIC) that provides "anywhere" access, comment and notifications features similar to those found in Social Networking Systems (SNS), b) Cross-Log Communication via Social Techniques - A concept from Johnsson Space Center's (JSC) Mission Control Center Houston (MCC-H) that would use microblogging's @tag and #tag protocols to make information/requests visible and/or discoverable in logs owned by @Destination addressees, and c) Communications Dashboard (CommDash) - A MSFC concept for a Facebook-like interface to visually integrate and manage basic console log content, text chat streams analogous to voice loops, text chat streams dedicated to particular conversations, generic and position-specific status displays/streams, and a graphically based hailing display. CoLT was deployed operationally at nearly the same time as SpaceOps 2012, the Cross- Log Communications idea is currently waiting for a champion to carry it forward, and CommDash was approved as a NASA Iinformation Technoloby (IT) Labs project. This paper discusses lessons learned from two years of actual CoLT operations, updates CommDash prototype development status, and discusses potential for using Cross-Log Communications in both MCC-H and/or POIC environments, and considers other ways for synergizing console applcations.

The relation of functional visual acuity measurement methodology to tear functions and ocular surface status.

PubMed

Kaido, Minako; Ishida, Reiko; Dogru, Murat; Tsubota, Kazuo

2011-09-01

To investigate the relation of functional visual acuity (FVA) measurements with dry eye test parameters and to compare the testing methods with and without blink suppression and anesthetic instillation. A prospective comparative case series. Thirty right eyes of 30 dry eye patients and 25 right eyes of 25 normal subjects seen at Keio University School of Medicine, Department of Ophthalmology were studied. FVA testing was performed using a FVA measurement system with two different approaches, one in which measurements were made under natural blinking conditions without topical anesthesia (FVA-N) and the other in which the measurements were made under the blink suppression condition with topical anesthetic eye drops (FVA-BS). Tear function examinations, such as the Schirmer test, tear film break-up time, and fluorescein and Rose Bengal vital staining as ocular surface evaluation, were performed. The mean logMAR FVA-N scores and logMAR Landolt visual acuity scores were significantly lower in the dry eye subjects than in the healthy controls (p < 0.05), while there were no statistical differences between the logMAR FVA-BS scores of the dry eye subjects and those of the healthy controls. There was a significant correlation between the logMAR Landolt visual acuities and the logMAR FVA-N and logMAR FVA-BS scores. The FVA-N scores correlated significantly with tear quantities, tear stability and, especially, the ocular surface vital staining scores. FVA measurements performed under natural blinking significantly reflected the tear functions and ocular surface status of the eye and would appear to be a reliable method of FVA testing. FVA measurement is also an accurate predictor of dry eye status.

Installation of the National Transport Code Collaboration Data Server at the ITPA International Multi-tokamak Confinement Profile Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roach, Colin; Carlsson, Johan; Cary, John R.; Alexander, David A.

2002-11-01

The National Transport Code Collaboration (NTCC) has developed an array of software, including a data client/server. The data server, which is written in C++, serves local data (in the ITER Profile Database format) as well as remote data (by accessing one or several MDS+ servers). The client, a web-invocable Java applet, provides a uniform, intuitive, user-friendly, graphical interface to the data server. The uniformity of the interface relieves the user from the trouble of mastering the differences between different data formats and lets him/her focus on the essentials: plotting and viewing the data. The user runs the client by visiting a web page using any Java capable Web browser. The client is automatically downloaded and run by the browser. A reference to the data server is then retrieved via the standard Web protocol (HTTP). The communication between the client and the server is then handled by the mature, industry-standard CORBA middleware. CORBA has bindings for all common languages and many high-quality implementations are available (both Open Source and commercial). The NTCC data server has been installed at the ITPA International Multi-tokamak Confinement Profile Database, which is hosted by the UKAEA at Culham Science Centre. The installation of the data server is protected by an Internet firewall. To make it accessible to clients outside the firewall some modifications of the server were required. The working version of the ITPA confinement profile database is not open to the public. Authentification of legitimate users is done utilizing built-in Java security features to demand a password to download the client. We present an overview of the NTCC data client/server and some details of how the CORBA firewall-traversal issues were resolved and how the user authentification is implemented.

[Development of a secure and cost-effective infrastructure for the access of arbitrary web-based image distribution systems].

PubMed

Hackländer, T; Kleber, K; Schneider, H; Demabre, N; Cramer, B M

2004-08-01

To build an infrastructure that enables radiologists on-call and external users a teleradiological access to the HTML-based image distribution system inside the hospital via internet. In addition, no investment costs should arise on the user side and the image data should be sent renamed using cryptographic techniques. A pure HTML-based system manages the image distribution inside the hospital, with an open source project extending this system through a secure gateway outside the firewall of the hospital. The gateway handles the communication between the external users and the HTML server within the network of the hospital. A second firewall is installed between the gateway and the external users and builds up a virtual private network (VPN). A connection between the gateway and the external user is only acknowledged if the computers involved authenticate each other via certificates and the external users authenticate via a multi-stage password system. All data are transferred encrypted. External users get only access to images that have been renamed to a pseudonym by means of automated processing before. With an ADSL internet access, external users achieve an image load frequency of 0.4 CT images per second. More than 90 % of the delay during image transfer results from security checks within the firewalls. Data passing the gateway induce no measurable delay. Project goals were realized by means of an infrastructure that works vendor independently with any HTML-based image distribution systems. The requirements of data security were realized using state-of-the-art web techniques. Adequate access and transfer speed lead to a widespread acceptance of the system on the part of external users.

Icezones instead of firewalls: extended entanglement beyond the event horizon and unitary evaporation of a black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutchinson, John; Stojkovic, Dejan

2016-07-01

We examine the basic assumptions in the original setup of the firewall paradox. The main claim is that a single mode of the lathe radiation is maximally entangled with the mode inside the horizon and simultaneously with the modes of early Hawking radiation. We argue that this situation never happens during the evolution of a black hole. Quantum mechanics tells us that while the black hole exists, unitary evolution maximally entangles a late mode located just outside the horizon with a combination of early radiation and black hole states, instead of either of them separately. One of the reasons for this is that the black hole radiation is not random and strongly depends on the geometry and charge of the black hole, as detailed numerical calculations of Hawking evaporation clearly show. As a consequence, one can not factor out the state of the black hole. However, this extended entanglement between the black hole and modes of early and late radiation indicates that, as the black hole ages, the local Rindler horizon is modified out to macroscopic distances from the black hole. Fundamentally non-local physics nor firewalls are not necessary to explain this result. We propose an infrared mechanism called icezone that is mediated by low energy interacting modes and acts near any event horizon to entangle states separated by long distances. These interactions at first provide small corrections to the thermal Hawking radiation. At the end of evaporation however the effect of interactions is as large as the Hawking radiation and information is recovered for an outside observer. We verify this in an explicit construction and calculation of the density matrix of a spin model.

Future Logging Careers Act

THOMAS, 113th Congress

Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID

2014-05-14

Senate - 05/14/2014 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Information Security and the Internet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doddrell, Gregory R.

1996-01-01

As business relies less on "fortress" style central computers and more on distributed systems, the risk of disruption increases because of inadequate physical security, support services, and site monitoring. This article discusses information security and why protection is required on the Internet, presents a best practice firewall, and…

Do You Know where Your Data Are?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bennett, Cedric

2006-01-01

Many of the information security appliances, devices, and techniques currently in use are designed to keep unwanted users and Internet traffic away from important information assets by denying unauthorized access to servers, databases, networks, storage media, and other underlying technology resources. These approaches employ firewalls, intrusion…

How Much Security Does Your Library Need?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banerjee, Kyle

2003-01-01

Explains how to keep library systems healthy and functioning by taking sensible security measures. Examines why hackers would target library systems and how library systems are compromised. Describes tools that can help, including: firewalls; antivirus software; alarms; network analysis tools; and encryption. Identifies several strategies for…

The Interaction of Risk Network Structures and Virus Natural History in the Non-spreading of HIV Among People Who Inject Drugs in the Early Stages of the Epidemic.

PubMed

Dombrowski, Kirk; Khan, Bilal; Habecker, Patrick; Hagan, Holly; Friedman, Samuel R; Saad, Mohamed

2017-04-01

This article explores how social network dynamics may have reduced the spread of HIV-1 infection among people who inject drugs during the early years of the epidemic. Stochastic, discrete event, agent-based simulations are used to test whether a "firewall effect" can arise out of self-organizing processes at the actor level, and whether such an effect can account for stable HIV prevalence rates below population saturation. Repeated simulation experiments show that, in the presence of recurring, acute, and highly infectious outbreaks, micro-network structures combine with the HIV virus's natural history to reduce the spread of the disease. These results indicate that network factors likely played a significant role in the prevention of HIV infection within injection risk networks during periods of peak prevalence. They also suggest that social forces that disturb network connections may diminish the natural firewall effect and result in higher rates of HIV.

The Interaction of Risk Network Structures and Virus Natural History in the non-Spreading of HIV among People Who Inject Drugs in the Early Stages of the Epidemic

PubMed Central

Dombrowski, Kirk; Khan, Bilal; Habecker, Patrick; Hagan, Holly; Friedman, Samuel R.; Saad, Mohamed

2016-01-01

This article explores how social network dynamics may have reduced the spread of HIV-1 infection among people who inject drugs during the early years of the epidemic. Stochastic, discrete event, agent-based simulations are used to test whether a “firewall effect” can arise out of self-organizing processes at the actor level, and whether such an effect can account for stable HIV prevalence rates below population saturation. Repeated simulation experiments show that, in the presence of recurring, acute, and highly infectious outbreaks, micro-network structures combine with the HIV virus’s natural history to reduce the spread of the disease. These results indicate that network factors likely played a significant role in the prevention of HIV infection within injection risk networks during periods of peak prevalence. They also suggest that social forces that disturb network connections may diminish the natural firewall effect and result in higher rates of HIV. PMID:27699596

A Test Bed for Detection of Botnet Infections in Low Data Rate Tactical Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

perimeter, their effectiveness in preventing further proliferation within a LAN is almost non-existent. Conficker disables antivirus and firewall software...enable: Yes Disable “strict” capture filtering: no Fencelist location: /etc/fencelist.txt (IP addresses and CIDR blocks Enable Fencelist filtering

Do You Lock Your Network Doors? Some Network Management Precautions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neray, Phil

1997-01-01

Discusses security problems and solutions for networked organizations with Internet connections. Topics include access to private networks from electronic mail information; computer viruses; computer software; corporate espionage; firewalls, that is computers that stand between a local network and the Internet; passwords; and physical security.…

14 CFR 23.1191 - Firewalls.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... corrosion. (f) Compliance with the criteria for fireproof materials or components must be shown as follows... this section: (1) Stainless steel sheet, 0.015 inch thick. (2) Mild steel sheet (coated with aluminum or otherwise protected against corrosion) 0.018 inch thick. (3) Terne plate, 0.018 inch thick. (4...

The Multilayer Firewall

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-01-01

84. [13] Germano Caronni, Hannes Lubich, Ashar Aziz, Tom Markson, Rich Skrenta, "SKIP - securing the internet," Proceedings of the fifth workshop on...perspective," Open Group Technical Paper DEV-DCE-TP6-1, June 10, 1991. [18] Alan O. Freier, Philip Karlton, Paul C. Kocher, "The SSL Protocol, Version

Data Security: Locked Down, Not out

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waters, John K.

2007-01-01

The problem with traditional, perimeterbased security methods is twofold: First, they can stifle the educational mission that district networks were created to encourage. Firewalls can thwart hackers, but they can also prevent staff and students from accessing online tools or information. Second, these approaches tend to provide inadequate…

Atmospheric Profile Imprint in Firewall Ablation Coefficient

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ceplecha, Z.; Pecina, P.

1984-01-01

A general formula which expresses the distance along the meteoric fireball trajectory 1 as a function of t is discussed. Differential equations which include the motion and ablation of a single nonfragmenting meteor body are presented. The importance of the atmospheric density profile in the meteor formula is emphasized.

The Great Firewall of China: A Critical Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

wall was constructed twenty five foot high, twenty foot wide and over 4,000 miles long when complete ( Asimov , 1998). The wall was constructed... Asimov , I (1998). Construction of the great wall. Retrieved May 20, 2008, from Great Wall Web site: http://www.ccds.charlotte.nc.us/History/China/save

Security Aspects of an Enterprise-Wide Network Architecture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loew, Robert; Stengel, Ingo; Bleimann, Udo; McDonald, Aidan

1999-01-01

Presents an overview of two projects that concern local area networks and the common point between networks as they relate to network security. Discusses security architectures based on firewall components, packet filters, application gateways, security-management components, an intranet solution, user registration by Web form, and requests for…

Wireless Security Within Hastily Formed Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-01

WLAN DEVICES (STEP ONE) ............34 1. Personal Firewalls..............................................................................34 2. Anti ...includes client devices , access points, network infrastructure, network management, and delivery of mobility services to maintain network security and...Technology Special Publication 800-48, Wireless Network Security, 802.11, Bluetooth , and Handheld Devices . Available at http://csrc.nist.gov

Psychology in the Prescription Era: Building a Firewall between Marketing and Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antonuccio, David O.; Danton, William G.; McClanahan, Terry Michael

2003-01-01

The pharmaceutical industry has contributed to many life-saving innovations in medicine and has become one of the most successful industries in the world. As a result, pharmaceutical industry financial and marketing influences extend to federal regulatory agencies, professional organizations, medical journals, continuing medical education,…

The Great Firewall of China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Healy, Shawn

2007-01-01

Although China has made notable progress in liberalizing its economy over the past three decades, the Communist Party maintains a stranglehold on political freedom, and in no place is this more apparent than the roadblocks it places on the Information Superhighway. Indeed, according to Reporters Without Borders, China stands as "... the…

Information Communications Technology Support to Reconstruction and Development: Some Observations from Afghanistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

banditry. Afghan women are still among the worst off in the world: most are illite many have no access to healthcare, and child and forced marriages...Cyber security » Virus and spyware protection, intrusion detection-protection, firewalls » Control use of pirated software and porn surfing by

A Clearer View of Vista Features

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Descy, Don E.

2008-01-01

In this article, the author discusses some features of Windows Vista that may be of interest to teachers and/or their students. These are: (1) User Account Control; (2) Windows Firewall; (3) Windows Backup; (4) Parental Controls; (5) Windows Sidebar and Gadgets; (6) Instant Search; and (7) Windows ReadyBoost.

Getting Employees Involved in Information Security: The Case of Strong Passwords

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Richard G.

2009-01-01

With the increasing amount and severity of information security incidents, organizations are constantly looking for better ways to protect their information. The implementation of physical safeguards such as firewalls and intrusion detection systems is an integral part on an organization's overall information security; however these safeguards…

Network Security: What Non-Technical Administrators Must Know

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council, Chip

2005-01-01

Now it is increasingly critical that community college leaders become involved in network security and partner with their directors of information technology (IT). Network security involves more than just virus protection software and firewalls. It involves vigilance and requires top executive support. Leaders can help their IT directors to…

78 FR 40478 - Privacy Act of 1974; Notice of an Updated System of Records

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-07-05

... of MyUSA's programmatic interfaces, such as notifications, tasks, or events; (3) a history of third... Technology standards and information in the database is encrypted. Records are safeguarded in accordance with... algorithms and firewalls are compliant with National Institute of Standards and Technology standards...

Peace (of Mind) in Our Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Panettieri, Joseph C.

2007-01-01

There's no silver bullet to information security; universities must continue to keep their antivirus, anti-spyware, firewall, and patch management systems in good working order. These days, the largest target for hackers appears to be university databases. Now, universities are searching for new solutions to safeguard those systems. This article…

Campus network security model study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yong-ku; Song, Li-ren

2011-12-01

Campus network security is growing importance, Design a very effective defense hacker attacks, viruses, data theft, and internal defense system, is the focus of the study in this paper. This paper compared the firewall; IDS based on the integrated, then design of a campus network security model, and detail the specific implementation principle.

Association between predominantly plant-based diets and iron status in Chinese adults: a cross-sectional analysis.

PubMed

He, Jingjing; Shen, Xin; Fang, Aiping; Song, Jie; Li, He; Guo, Meihan; Li, Keji

2016-11-01

Current evidence of the relationship between diets and Fe status is mostly derived from studies in developed countries with Western diets, which may not be translatable to Chinese with a predominantly plant-based diet. We extracted data that were nationally sampled from the 2009 wave of China Health and Nutrition Survey; dietary information was collected using 24-h recalls combined with a food inventory for 3 consecutive days. Blood samples were collected to quantify Fe status, and log-ferritin, transferrin receptor and Hb were used as Fe status indicators. In total, 2905 (1360 males and 1545 females) adults aged 18-50 years were included for multiple linear regression and stratified analyses. The rates of Fe deficiency and Fe-deficiency anaemia were 1·6 and 0·7 % for males and 28·4 and 10·7 % for females, respectively. As red meat and haem Fe consumption differed about fifteen to twenty times throughout the five groups, divided by quintiles of animal protein intake per 4·2 MJ/d, only Fe status as indicated by log-ferritin (P=0·019) and transferrin receptor (P=0·024) concentrations in males was shown to be higher as intakes of animal foods increased. Log-ferritin was positively associated with intakes of red meat (B=0·3 %, P=0·01) and haem Fe (B=12·3 %, P=0·010) in males and with intake of non-haem Fe in females (B=2·2 %, P=0·024). We conclude that diet has a very limited association with Fe status in Chinese adults consuming a traditional Chinese diet, and a predominantly plant-based diet may not be necessarily responsible for poor Fe status.

Information needs for increasing log transport efficiency

Treesearch

Timothy P. McDonald; Steven E. Taylor; Robert B. Rummer; Jorge Valenzuela

2001-01-01

Three methods of dispatching trucks to loggers were tested using a log transport simulation model: random allocation, fixed assignment of trucks to loggers, and dispatch based on knowledge of the current status of trucks and loggers within the system. This 'informed' dispatch algorithm attempted to minimize the difference in time between when a logger would...

Combined indicator of vitamin B 12 status: modification for missing biomarkers and folate status and recommendations for revised cut-points

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: A novel approach to determine vitamin B 12 status is to combine four blood markers: total B 12 (B 12 ), holotranscobalamin (holoTC), methylmalonic acid (MMA) and total homocysteine (tHcy). This combined indicator of B 12 status is expressed as cB 12 = log 10 [(holoTC · B 12 )/ (MMA · Hcy...

Evolution of invading forest pathogens via interspecific hybridization

Treesearch

Clive Brasier

2003-01-01

Traditional morphologically-based fungal species concepts have tended to go hand in-hand with a perception that fungal species are genetically 'firewalled' units between which almost no gene flow occurs. Also, prior to 1990, known examples of interspecific hybridization in fungi were very rare. However, observations on the internationally invading Dutch elm...

Fingerprinting Software Defined Networks and Controllers

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-01

24 2.5.3 Intrusion Prevention System with SDN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 2.5.4 Modular Security Services...Control Message Protocol IDS Intrusion Detection System IPS Intrusion Prevention System ISP Internet Service Provider LLDP Link Layer Discovery Protocol...layer functions (e.g., web proxies, firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention, load balancers, etc.). The increase in switch capabilities combined

75 FR 39017 - Pilot Corporation, Propeller Corp., and Flying J Inc.; Analysis of Proposed Agreement Containing...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-07

... restaurants, shower facilities, internet access, and financial services for drivers. Four travel center... for assuring that the firewall protocols are met. B. Continued Operation of Restaurants The Order also provides for the continuity of operation at Wendy's restaurants affiliated with the sites acquired by Love...

Drop-in Security for Distributed and Portable Computing Elements.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prevelakis, Vassilis; Keromytis, Angelos

2003-01-01

Proposes the use of a special purpose drop-in firewall/VPN gateway called Sieve, that can be inserted between the mobile workstation and the network to provide individualized security services for that particular station. Discusses features and advantages of the system and demonstrates how Sieve was used in various application areas such as at…

78 FR 60656 - Airworthiness Directives; Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation Helicopters

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-02

... firewall center fire extinguisher discharge tube (No. 1 engine tube) and inspecting the outboard discharge tube to determine if it is correctly positioned. This AD was prompted by the discovery that the No. 1 engine tube installed on the helicopters is too long to ensure that a fire could be effectively...

75 FR 29548 - Privacy Act of 1974; Notice of New System of Records

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-26

... maintained behind a firewall certified by the National Computer Security Association. RETENTION AND DISPOSAL... agencies, entities when (1) the Agency suspects or has confirmed that the security or confidentiality of..., identity theft or fraud, or harm to the security or integrity or this system or other systems or programs...

Investigation of Experimental Lightweight Firewall Materials for A/C Engine Bay Applications.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-04-01

umidity conditions. The metal clad Johns - Manville samples were basically qual. They do not provide a vapor barrier in the configurations tested, but an be...made to by the use of coatings or backings. The flexibility of the 3M nd Johns - Manville samples make them excellent choices for subsystem fire

78 FR 70209 - Airworthiness Directives; XtremeAir GmbH Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-25

...: Final rule; request for comments. SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Xtreme... lower left landing gear attachment bearing and the lower engine mount to the firewall attachment plate... Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590. Hand Delivery: U.S. Department of...

Information Security in the 1990s: Keeping the Locks on.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kovac, Ron J.

1999-01-01

As the Internet proliferates, it drastically increases an institution's level of data insecurity. Hacker attacks can result in denial of service, data corruption or erasure, and passive theft (via spoofing, splicing, or session stealing). To ensure data security, a firewall (screening software program) and a security policy should be implemented.…

A Spreadsheet for a 2 x 3 x 2 Log-Linear Analysis. AIR 1991 Annual Forum Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saupe, Joe L.

This paper describes a personal computer spreadsheet set up to carry out hierarchical log-linear analyses, a type of analysis useful for institutional research into multidimensional frequency tables formed from categorical variables such as faculty rank, student class level, gender, or retention status. The spreadsheet provides a concrete vehicle…

Energy and information near black hole horizons

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

Freivogel, Ben, E-mail: benfreivogel@gmail.com

2014-07-01

The central challenge in trying to resolve the firewall paradox is to identify excitations in the near-horizon zone of a black hole that can carry information without injuring a freely falling observer. By analyzing the problem from the point of view of a freely falling observer, I arrive at a simple proposal for the degrees of freedom that carry information out of the black hole. An infalling observer experiences the information-carrying modes as ingoing, negative energy excitations of the quantum fields. In these states, freely falling observers who fall in from infinity do not encounter a firewall, but freely fallingmore » observers who begin their free fall from a location close to the horizon are ''frozen'' by a flux of negative energy. When the black hole is ''mined,'' the number of information-carrying modes increases, increasing the negative energy flux in the infalling frame without violating the equivalence principle. Finally, I point out a loophole in recent arguments that an infalling observer must detect a violation of unitarity, effective field theory, or free infall.« less

Quantum jump from singularity to outside of black hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dündar, Furkan Semih; Hajian, Kamal

2016-02-01

Considering the role of black hole singularity in quantum evolution, a resolution to the firewall paradox is presented. It is emphasized that if an observer has the singularity as a part of his spacetime, then the semi-classical evolution would be non-unitary as viewed by him. Specifically, a free-falling observer inside the black hole would have a Hilbert space with non-unitary evolution; a quantum jump for particles encountering the singularity to outside of the horizon as late Hawking radiations. The non-unitarity in the jump resembles the one in collapse of wave function, but preserves entanglements. Accordingly, we elaborate the first postulate of black hole complementarity: freely falling observers who pass through the event horizon would have non-unitary evolution, while it does not have physically measurable effects for them. Besides, no information would be lost in the singularity. Taking the modified picture into account, the firewall paradox can be resolved, respecting No Drama. A by-product of our modification is that roughly half of the entropy of the black hole is released close to the end of evaporation in the shape of very hot Hawking radiation.

Analysis of simultaneous thermal/gamma radiation aging of cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulation—interim status report

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

Fifield, Leonard S.; Correa, Miguel

Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) is the most common cable insulation found in nuclear containment, and is therefore a priority material for investigation of long term aging effect from elevated temperature combined with gamma radiation exposure. Prior work has identified the possibility of anomalous aging behavior in XLPE such as the inverse temperature effect in which radiation exposure is more damaging at lower temperatures than at higher temperatures. We explored simultaneous aging of XLPE insulation from modern Firewall® III nuclear cables at 60, 90, and 115 °C, at gamma dose rates from 116 to 540 Gy/h, for exposure periods up to 25more » d. XLPE samples exposed in this way were characterized using the percent gel and uptake factor method. For the conditions and material examine, degradation behavior was seen to track proportionally with increasing temperature, rather than to exhibit greater degradation at lower temperatures. Ongoing work including similar aging at 25 °C and characterization of the XLPE samples using other methods will further elucidate these initial results« less

Combined indicator of vitamin B12 status: modification for missing biomarkers and folate status, and recommendations for revised cut-points

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: We propose a novel approach to diagnose B12 status by combining four blood markers: total B12 (B12), holo-transcobalamin (holoTC), methylmalonic acid (MMA) and total homocysteine (tHcy). Combined B12 status is expressed as cB12=log10[(holoTC•B12)/(MMA•Hcy)]–(reference, age function). Her...

Extracting the Textual and Temporal Structure of Supercomputing Logs

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

Jain, S; Singh, I; Chandra, A

2009-05-26

Supercomputers are prone to frequent faults that adversely affect their performance, reliability and functionality. System logs collected on these systems are a valuable resource of information about their operational status and health. However, their massive size, complexity, and lack of standard format makes it difficult to automatically extract information that can be used to improve system management. In this work we propose a novel method to succinctly represent the contents of supercomputing logs, by using textual clustering to automatically find the syntactic structures of log messages. This information is used to automatically classify messages into semantic groups via an onlinemore » clustering algorithm. Further, we describe a methodology for using the temporal proximity between groups of log messages to identify correlated events in the system. We apply our proposed methods to two large, publicly available supercomputing logs and show that our technique features nearly perfect accuracy for online log-classification and extracts meaningful structural and temporal message patterns that can be used to improve the accuracy of other log analysis techniques.« less

Status of timber utilization on the Pacific Coast.

Treesearch

John B. Grantham

1974-01-01

The need for additional sources of energy and raw material in the forest products industry enhances the opportunity to improve timber utilization by reducing logging residue. This is particularly true on the Pacific Coast where some 14 million tons of logging residue accumulate each year and where some 3 million tons of unused bark create a disposal problem at mills....

Standards, Firewalls, and General Classroom Mayhem: Implementing Student-Centered Technology Projects in the Elementary Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hofer, Mark; Swan, Kathleen Owings

2006-01-01

Educators are simultaneously bombarded with both calls to integrate technology in meaningful ways into their teaching and to promote more student-centered activities which combine both content learning and higher-order thinking. This is no small task given the range of student abilities and interests, the increasing emphasis on state standards and…

75 FR 76708 - Extension of the Date by Which Youth All-Terrain Vehicles Must Be Tested and Certified

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-09

... Cooperation-Mutual Recognition Arrangement (``ILAC/MRA'') signatory. For firewalled conformity assessment... is a signatory to the ILAC/MRA, a prerequisite for such conformity assessment bodies to be accepted... assessment bodies that have the requisite accreditation by an ILAC-MRA signatory to test for conformity to 16...

Problems of Implementing SCORM in an Enterprise Distance Learning Architecture: SCORM Incompatibility across Multiple Web Domains.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engelbrecht, Jeffrey C.

2003-01-01

Delivering content to distant users located in dispersed networks, separated by firewalls and different web domains requires extensive customization and integration. This article outlines some of the problems of implementing the Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) in the Marine Corps' Distance Learning System (MarineNet) and extends…

Keeping Students and Staff Safe from Technology Abuse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruder, Robert

2009-01-01

With the number of students who own cellular phones increasing at a dazzling rate, designing a school district-wide multilevel firewall to address electronic intrusions is a prudent course of action. In addition to invading a student's privacy in a locker room or bathroom, students can use camera phones to cheat on tests. Students can photograph a…

78 FR 15835 - Requirements Pertaining to Third Party Conformity Assessment Bodies

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-12

... parties. In that case, the laboratory is considered ``firewalled.'' Similarly, section 14(f)(2)(B) of the..., ASTM F2853-10, requires only one measurement when used to determine the lead content of a paint sample... heterogeneity effect: * * * an 8 mm diameter x-ray surface shot (HHXRF),\\2\\ with a scatter that widens in three...

How To: Protect against a Zero-Hour Attack

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Rob

2005-01-01

In the last year, a series of viruses and worms that caused damage across the Internet in record time has made very clear how vulnerable computer systems are. The MS Blaster, Slammer, Sasser, and Korgo.W worms have shown that signature-based antivirus software and traditional firewalls are not enough to protect networks. Everyone is worried about…

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

Troy Hiltbrand; Daniel Jones

As we look at the cyber security ecosystem, are we planning to fight the battle as we did yesterday, with firewalls and intrusion detection systems (IDS), or are we sensing a change in how security is evolving and planning accordingly? With the technology enablement and possible financial benefits of cloud computing, the traditional tools for establishing and maintaining our cyber security ecosystems are being dramatically altered.

Can the Analytical Hierarchy Process Model Be Effectively Applied in the Prioritization of Information Assurance Defense In-Depth Measures? --A Quantitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Rodney T.

2017-01-01

Organizational computing devices are increasingly becoming targets of cyber-attacks, and organizations have become dependent on the safety and security of their computer networks and their organizational computing devices. Business and government often use defense in-depth information assurance measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection…

76 FR 6533 - Airworthiness Directives; Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (Type Certificate Previously Held by...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-07

... (FAA), DOT. ACTION: Final rule. SUMMARY: We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for the products listed above. This AD requires a detailed inspection for proper sealant of the left and right... sealant on the left and right pylon firewall structures. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct...

Assessing and Managing Quality of Information Assurance

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-01

such as firewalls, antivirus scanning tools and mechanisms for user authentication and authorization. Advanced mission-critical systems often...imply increased risk to DoD information systems. The Process and Organizational Maturity (POM) class focuses on the maturity of the software and...include architectural quality. Common Weakness Enumeration (CWE) is a recent example that highlights the connection between software quality and

An inexpensive modification of the laboratory computer display changes emergency physicians' work habits and perceptions.

PubMed

Marinakis, Harry A; Zwemer, Frank L

2003-02-01

Little is known about how the availability of laboratory data affects emergency physicians' practice habits and satisfaction. We modified our clinical information system to display laboratory test status with continuous updates, similar to an airport arrival display. The objective of this study was to determine whether the laboratory test status display altered emergency physicians' work habits and increased satisfaction compared with the time period before implementation of laboratory test status. A retrospective analysis was performed of emergency physicians' actual use of the clinical information system before and after implementation of the laboratory test status display. Emergency physicians were retrospectively surveyed regarding the effect of laboratory test status display on their practice habits and clinical information system use. Survey responses were matched with actual use of the clinical information system. Data were analyzed by using dependent t tests and Pearson correlation coefficients. The study was conducted at a university hospital. Clinical information system use by 46 emergency physicians was analyzed. Twenty-five surveys were returned (71.4% of available emergency physicians). All emergency physicians perceived fewer clinical information system log ons per day after laboratory test status display. The actual average decrease was 19%. Emergency physicians who reported the greatest decrease in log ons per day tended to have the greatest actual decrease (r =-0.36). There was no significant correlation between actual and perceived total time logged on (r =0.08). In regard to effect on emergency physicians' practice habits, 95% reported increased efficiency, 80% reported improved satisfaction with data access, and 65% reported improved communication with patients. An inexpensive computer modification, laboratory test status display, significantly increased subjective efficiency, changed work habits, and improved satisfaction regarding data access and patient communication among emergency physicians. Knowledge of the test queue changed emergency physician behavior and improved satisfaction.

Microorganisms as an Indicator of Hygiene Status Among Migrant Food Handlers in Peninsular Malaysia.

PubMed

Woh, Pei Yee; Thong, Kwai Lin; Lim, Yvonne Ai Lian; Behnke, Jerzy Marian; Lewis, John Watkin; Mohd Zain, Siti Nursheena

2017-10-01

This study used microbial indicators to assess the hygiene status of 383 migrant food handlers from 3 urban cities in Peninsular Malaysia. Microbiological analysis revealed that all the hand swabs tested 99.5% positive for aerobic plate counts (mean [M] ± standard deviation [SD] = 3.57 ± 0.83 log 10 CFU [colony forming unit]), 20.8% positive for total coliform/ Escherichia coli (M ± SD = 0.30 ± 0.67 log 10 CFU), and 63.4% positive for Staphylococcus aureus (M ± SD = 1.38 ± 1.26 log 10 CFU). In addition, aerobic plate counts and Staphylococcus aureus counts exceeded the acceptable standard levels. Bacterial counts were found to be significantly associated with subjects' country of origin ( P = .019) and working responsibilities ( P = .001). Our findings indicate high probability of transmission of pathogenic bacteria from the food handlers' hands to customers during meal preparation and serving. This calls for improvements in personal hygiene and sanitation standards by the relevant health authorities among migrant food handlers.

Research and development of improved geothermal well logging techniques, tools and components (current projects, goals and status). Final report

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

Lamers, M.D.

One of the key needs in the advancement of geothermal energy is availability of adequate subsurface measurements to aid the reservoir engineer in the development and operation of geothermal wells. Some current projects being sponsored by the U. S. Department of Energy's Division of Geothermal Energy pertaining to the development of improved well logging techniques, tools and components are described. An attempt is made to show how these projects contribute to improvement of geothermal logging technology in forming key elements of the overall program goals.

The spectroscopic indistinguishability of red giant branch and red clump stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masseron, T.; Hawkins, K.

2017-01-01

Context. Stellar spectroscopy provides useful information on the physical properties of stars such as effective temperature, metallicity and surface gravity. However, those photospheric characteristics are often hampered by systematic uncertainties. The joint spectro-sismo project (APOGEE+Kepler, aka APOKASC) of field red giants has revealed a puzzling offset between the surface gravities (log g) determined spectroscopically and those determined using asteroseismology, which is largely dependent on the stellar evolutionary status. Aims: Therefore, in this letter, we aim to shed light on the spectroscopic source of the offset. Methods: We used the APOKASC sample to analyse the dependencies of the log g discrepancy as a function of stellar mass and stellar evolutionary status. We discuss and study the impact of some neglected abundances on spectral analysis of red giants, such as He and carbon isotopic ratio. Results: We first show that, for stars at the bottom of the red giant branch where the first dredge-up had occurred, the discrepancy between spectroscopic log g and asteroseismic log g depends on stellar mass. This seems to indicate that the log g discrepancy is related to CN cycling. Among the CN-cycled elements, we demonstrate that the carbon isotopic ratio (12C /13C) has the largest impact on stellar spectrum. In parallel, we observe that this log g discrepancy shows a similar trend as the 12C /13C ratios as expected by stellar evolution theory. Although we did not detect a direct spectroscopic signature of 13C, other corroborating evidences suggest that the discrepancy in log g is tightly correlated to the production of 13C in red giants. Moreover, by running the data-driven algorithm (the Cannon) on a synthetic grid trained on the APOGEE data, we try to evaluate more quantitatively the impact of various 12C /13C ratios. Conclusions: While we have demonstrated that 13C indeed impacts all parameters, the size of the impact is smaller than the observed offset in log g. If further tests confirm that 13C is not the main element responsible of the log g problem, the number of spectroscopic effects remaining to be investigated is now relatively limited (if any).

Uncertainty relation in Schwarzschild spacetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Jun; Zhang, Yao-Zhong; Gould, Mark D.; Fan, Heng

2015-04-01

We explore the entropic uncertainty relation in the curved background outside a Schwarzschild black hole, and find that Hawking radiation introduces a nontrivial modification on the uncertainty bound for particular observer, therefore it could be witnessed by proper uncertainty game experimentally. We first investigate an uncertainty game between a free falling observer and his static partner holding a quantum memory initially entangled with the quantum system to be measured. Due to the information loss from Hawking decoherence, we find an inevitable increase of the uncertainty on the outcome of measurements in the view of static observer, which is dependent on the mass of the black hole, the distance of observer from event horizon, and the mode frequency of quantum memory. To illustrate the generality of this paradigm, we relate the entropic uncertainty bound with other uncertainty probe, e.g., time-energy uncertainty. In an alternative game between two static players, we show that quantum information of qubit can be transferred to quantum memory through a bath of fluctuating quantum fields outside the black hole. For a particular choice of initial state, we show that the Hawking decoherence cannot counteract entanglement generation after the dynamical evolution of system, which triggers an effectively reduced uncertainty bound that violates the intrinsic limit -log2 ⁡ c. Numerically estimation for a proper choice of initial state shows that our result is comparable with possible real experiments. Finally, a discussion on the black hole firewall paradox in the context of entropic uncertainty relation is given.

Security of electronic medical information and patient privacy: what you need to know.

PubMed

Andriole, Katherine P

2014-12-01

The responsibility that physicians have to protect their patients from harm extends to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of patient health information including that contained within radiological images. The intent of HIPAA and subsequent HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules is to keep patients' private information confidential while allowing providers access to and maintaining the integrity of relevant information needed to provide care. Failure to comply with electronic protected health information (ePHI) regulations could result in financial or criminal penalties or both. Protected health information refers to anything that can reasonably be used to identify a patient (eg, name, age, date of birth, social security number, radiology examination accession number). The basic tools and techniques used to maintain medical information security and patient privacy described in this article include physical safeguards such as computer device isolation and data backup, technical safeguards such as firewalls and secure transmission modes, and administrative safeguards including documentation of security policies, training of staff, and audit tracking through system logs. Other important concepts related to privacy and security are explained, including user authentication, authorization, availability, confidentiality, data integrity, and nonrepudiation. Patient privacy and security of medical information are critical elements in today's electronic health care environment. Radiology has led the way in adopting digital systems to make possible the availability of medical information anywhere anytime, and in identifying and working to eliminate any risks to patients. Copyright © 2014 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

5-Fluorouracil Adjuvant Chemotherapy Does Not Increase Survival in Patients with CpG Island Methylator Phenotype Colorectal Cancer

PubMed Central

Jover, Rodrigo; Nguyen, Thuy-Phuong; Pérez-Carbonell, Lucía; Zapater, Pedro; Payá, Artemio; Alenda, Cristina; Rojas, Estefanía; Cubiella, Joaquín; Balaguer, Francesc; Morillas, Juan D.; Clofent, Juan; Bujanda, Luis; Reñé, Josep M; Bessa, Xavier; Xicola, Rosa M.; Nicolás-Pérez, David; Castells, Antoni; Andreu, Montserrat; Llor, Xavier; Boland, C. Richard; Goel, Ajay

2011-01-01

Background & Aims 5-FU-based adjuvant chemotherapy does not increase survival times of patients with colorectal tumors with microsatellite instability. We determined the response of patients with colorectal tumors with the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) to 5-FU-based therapy. Methods We analyzed a population-based cohort of 302 patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) for a median follow-up time of 50.7 months. CIMP status was determined by analysis of the CACNAG1, SOCS1, RUNX3, NEUROG1, and MLH1 promoters; tumors were considered to be CIMP-positive (CIMP+) if at least 3 promoters were methylated. Results Tumors from 29.5% (89/302) of patients were CIMP+; this did not influence disease-free survival (log rank=.26). Of tumors of TNM stages II–III (n=196), 32.7% were CIMP+. Among patients with CRC stages II–III who did not receive adjuvant 5-FU chemotherapy, those with CIMP+ tumors had longest times of disease-free survival (log rank=.04); patients with CIMP+ tumors who received chemotherapy had shorter times of disease-free survival (log rank=0.02). In patients with CIMP-negative tumors, adjuvant 5-FU chemotherapy significantly increased time of disease-free survival (log-rank=.00001). However, in patients with CIMP+ tumors, adjuvant 5-FU chemotherapy did not affect time of disease-free survival (log rank=.7). Multivariate analysis showed a significant, independent interaction between 5-FU treatment and CIMP status (hazard ratio [HR]=0.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], .5–.8). Among patients with CIMP+ tumors, adjuvant chemotherapy was not an independent predictor of outcome (HR=0.8; 95% CI, 0.3–2.0). In patients who did not receive adjuvant 5-FU chemotherapy, CIMP status was the only independent predictor of survival (HR=2.0; 95% CI, 1.1–3.8) Conclusion Patients with CIMP+ colorectal tumors do not benefit from 5-FU–based adjuvant chemotherapy. PMID:21185836

What about the Firewall? Creating Virtual Worlds in a Public Primary School Using Sim-on-a-Stick

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacka, Lisa; Booth, Kate

2012-01-01

Virtual worlds are highly immersive, engaging and popular computer mediated environments being explored by children and adults. Why then aren't more teachers using virtual worlds in the classroom with primary and secondary school students? Reasons often cited are the learning required to master the technology, low-end graphics cards, poor…

Automatic Response to Intrusion

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-10-01

Computing Corporation Sidewinder Firewall [18] SRI EMERALD Basic Security Module (BSM) and EMERALD File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Monitors...the same event TCP Wrappers [24] Internet Security Systems RealSecure [31] SRI EMERALD IDIP monitor NAI Labs Generic Software Wrappers Prototype...included EMERALD , NetRadar, NAI Labs UNIX wrappers, ARGuE, MPOG, NetRadar, CyberCop Server, Gauntlet, RealSecure, and the Cyber Command System

The Identification of Major Factors in the Deployment of a Science DMZ at Small Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valcourt, Scott A.

2017-01-01

The Science DMZ is a network research tool offering superior large science data transmission between two locations. Through a network design that places the Science DMZ at the edge of the campus network, the Science DMZ defines a network path that avoids packet inspecting devices (firewalls, packet shapers) and produces near line-rate transmission…

Addressing Software Security

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bailey, Brandon

2015-01-01

Historically security within organizations was thought of as an IT function (web sites/servers, email, workstation patching, etc.) Threat landscape has evolved (Script Kiddies, Hackers, Advanced Persistent Threat (APT), Nation States, etc.) Attack surface has expanded -Networks interconnected!! Some security posture factors Network Layer (Routers, Firewalls, etc.) Computer Network Defense (IPS/IDS, Sensors, Continuous Monitoring, etc.) Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Software Security (COTS, FOSS, Custom, etc.)

How to Recover a Qubit That Has Fallen into a Black Hole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chatwin-Davies, Aidan; Jermyn, Adam S.; Carroll, Sean M.

2015-12-01

We demonstrate an algorithm for the retrieval of a qubit, encoded in spin angular momentum, that has been dropped into a no-firewall black hole. Retrieval is achieved analogously to quantum teleportation by collecting Hawking radiation and performing measurements on the black hole. Importantly, these methods require only the ability to perform measurements from outside the event horizon.

Security Engineering and Educational Initiatives for Critical Information Infrastructures

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

standard for cryptographic protection of SCADA communications. The United Kingdom’s National Infrastructure Security Co-ordination Centre (NISCC...has released a good practice guide on firewall deployment for SCADA systems and process control networks [17]. Meanwhile, National Institute for ...report. APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED 18 The SCADA gateway collects the data gathered by sensors, translates them from

How to Recover a Qubit That Has Fallen into a Black Hole.

PubMed

Chatwin-Davies, Aidan; Jermyn, Adam S; Carroll, Sean M

2015-12-31

We demonstrate an algorithm for the retrieval of a qubit, encoded in spin angular momentum, that has been dropped into a no-firewall black hole. Retrieval is achieved analogously to quantum teleportation by collecting Hawking radiation and performing measurements on the black hole. Importantly, these methods require only the ability to perform measurements from outside the event horizon.

75 FR 72944 - Third Party Testing for Certain Children's Products; Mattresses, Mattress Pads, and/or Mattress...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-29

... Standard prescribes a full-scale test using a pair of T-shaped gas burners designed to represent burning... Group sought an additional one year for manufacturers to comply with the third party testing requirement... accredited by an ILAC-MRA member at the time of the test. For firewalled conformity assessment bodies, the...

Jerusalem lectures on black holes and quantum information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harlow, D.

2016-01-01

These lectures give an introduction to the quantum physics of black holes, including recent developments based on quantum information theory such as the firewall paradox and its various cousins. An introduction is also given to holography and the anti-de Sitter/conformal field theory (AdS/CFT) correspondence, focusing on those aspects which are relevant for the black hole information problem.

4. AERIAL VIEW, LOOKING SOUTHSOUTHWEST, OF BUILDING 371 GROUND FLOOR ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

4. AERIAL VIEW, LOOKING SOUTH-SOUTHWEST, OF BUILDING 371 GROUND FLOOR UNDER CONSTRUCTION. THE GROUND FLOOR, WHICH CONTAINS THE MAJORITY OF THE PLUTONIUM RECOVERY PROCESSING EQUIPMENT, IS DIVIDED INTO COMPARTMENTS BY FIREWALLS, AIRLOCKS, AND USE OF NEGATIVE AIR PRESSURE. (1/7/75) - Rocky Flats Plant, Plutonium Recovery Facility, Northwest portion of Rocky Flats Plant, Golden, Jefferson County, CO

Implementation of Pass Through PPTP Relay System with Authentication at Each Gateway and Its Performance Evaluations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Shoichi; Uehara, Tetsutaro; Izumi, Yutaka; Kunieda, Yoshitoshi

The VPN (Virtual Private Network) technique becomes more and more popular to protect contents of messages and to achieve secure communication from incidents, such as tapping. However, it grow in usage that a VPN server is used on a sub-network in part of an office-wide network. But, a PPTP system included in Windows operating systems cannot establish nested VPN links. Moreover encrypted communication by VPN hides a user of the VPN connection. Consequently, any administrators of network systems can’t find out the users of the VPN connection via firewall, moreover can’t decide whether if the user is legal or not. In order to solve this problem, we developed a multi step PPTP relay system on a firewall. This system solves all the problems of our previously developed PPTP relay system(1). The new relay system improves security by encrypting through the whole end-to-end communication and abolishing of prior registration of passwords for the next step. Furthermore, transport speed is accelerated, and the restriction of the number of steps on relay is also abolished. By these features the multi step PPTP relay system expands usability.

Weighted link graphs: a distributed IDS for secondary intrusion detection and defense

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Mian; Lang, Sheau-Dong

2005-03-01

While a firewall installed at the perimeter of a local network provides the first line of defense against the hackers, many intrusion incidents are the results of successful penetration of the firewalls. One computer"s compromise often put the entire network at risk. In this paper, we propose an IDS that provides a finer control over the internal network. The system focuses on the variations of connection-based behavior of each single computer, and uses a weighted link graph to visualize the overall traffic abnormalities. The functionality of our system is of a distributed personal IDS system that also provides a centralized traffic analysis by graphical visualization. We use a novel weight assignment schema for the local detection within each end agent. The local abnormalities are quantitatively carried out by the node weight and link weight and further sent to the central analyzer to build the weighted link graph. Thus, we distribute the burden of traffic processing and visualization to each agent and make it more efficient for the overall intrusion detection. As the LANs are more vulnerable to inside attacks, our system is designed as a reinforcement to prevent corruption from the inside.

Three-Dimensional (3D) Distribution

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-03-11

Jingle Air, CLP , Green Air, USAF), COIN OPS, RFID, etc….. Battle Loss, Log status, Causality, Tactical moves (24/48/72), SSA % Balance, Combat Power...Coalition/Joint Status, Parachute Status, KBR issues in AO, etc….. Capacity to move (parachute, LCLA, Jingle Air, CLP’s, Jingle Truck, Green Air...helicopter (green air); contracted, rotary-wing air, e.g. Mi-8; fixed- wing air, e.g. CASA-212; Combat Logistics Patrol; commercial trucks, e.g. “ jingle

Racial/Ethnic Differences in Sexual Network Mixing: A Log-Linear Analysis of HIV Status by Partnership and Sexual Behavior Among Most at-Risk MSM.

PubMed

Fujimoto, Kayo; Williams, Mark L

2015-06-01

Mixing patterns within sexual networks have been shown to have an effect on HIV transmission, both within and across groups. This study examined sexual mixing patterns involving HIV-unknown status and risky sexual behavior conditioned on assortative/dissortative mixing by race/ethnicity. The sample used for this study consisted of drug-using male sex workers and their male sex partners. A log-linear analysis of 257 most at-risk MSM and 3,072 sex partners was conducted. The analysis found two significant patterns. HIV-positive most at-risk Black MSM had a strong tendency to have HIV-unknown Black partners (relative risk, RR = 2.91, p < 0.001) and to engage in risky sexual behavior (RR = 2.22, p < 0.001). White most at-risk MSM with unknown HIV status also had a tendency to engage in risky sexual behavior with Whites (RR = 1.72, p < 0.001). The results suggest that interventions that target the most at-risk MSM and their sex partners should account for specific sexual network mixing patterns by HIV status.

76 FR 61643 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-05

... thumbnail fairing edge seals on both sides of the engines with Nitronic 60 stainless steel alloy seals. This proposed AD was prompted by reports of excessive in-service wear damage of the thumbnail fairing edge seal... failure of the fire seal, which could allow a fire in the fan compartment to spread beyond the firewall...

Cyberskepticism: The Mind’s Firewall

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

phonebook; BitTorrent; iTunes ; YouTube; forums; chat rooms; dating; Craig’s List; donate; blog/vlog; video games; e-invitations; e- cards ; weather...computer. Real-world romance techniques on the Internet have produced some very innovative cyber deception techniques. Valentine cards sent...electronically are one technique designed to enhance romance. In 2006 electronic Valentine cards were sent to unsuspecting people who opened them for various

A Technique for Presenting a Deceptive Dynamic Network Topology

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Comment RIP Routing Information Protocol SNOS Systemic Network Obfuscation System SSH Secure Shell TCP Transmission Control Protocol TTL time to live...because it sacrifices elements available in Transmission Control Protocol ( TCP ) such as ordered delivery of packets, delivery confirmation and duplication...avoidance [4]. Of note, some traceroute implementations use TCP packets since they are able to pass through firewalls which are typically configured

Conflict of interest: will it ever end?

PubMed

Carney, S L

2012-11-01

Despite the inclusion of investigator-industry pecuniary and non-pecuniary associations in published clinical trials, the benefit of such disclosures may be limited. Two recent pivotal phase III drug studies that raised conflict of interest issues are discussed. It is recommended that in the future, a firewall should be erected between industry and investigators. © 2012 The Author; Internal Medicine Journal © 2012 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

The Infernal Business of Contract Cheating: Understanding the Business Processes and Models of Academic Custom Writing Sites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Cath; Zucker, Ian Michael; Randall, David

2018-01-01

While there is growing awareness of the existence and activities of Academic Custom Writing websites, which form a small part of the contract cheating industry, how they work remains poorly understood. Very little research has been done on these sites, probably because it has been assumed that it is impossible to see behind their firewalls and…

Intrusion Detection: Generics and State-of-the-Art (la Detection de l’intrusion: Modeles generiques et etat de l’art)

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

by the user for a number of possible pre-defined intrusions. One of these pre-defined intrusions is the command “get /etc/ passwd ”. If this command is...Application-level firewalls: which check communication at the application level. An example is the string get /etc/ passwd in the ftp protocol

Cyber Capability Development Centre (CCDC) Private Cloud Design

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-01

68 8.4 Shared Services Canada (SSC) Controlled Firewall .......................................................... 69 9 Cloud...opposed to east-west traffic (VM to VM). With North-South traffic, Shared Services Canada will want to ensure that the lab environment is contained. One...way traffic flow into the lab should be acceptable, Shared Services Canada will need to ensure that traffic doesn’t flow north or out of the CCDC

Comment on self-consistent model of black hole formation and evaporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ho, Pei-Ming

2015-08-01

In an earlier work, Kawai et al. proposed a model of black-hole formation and evaporation, in which the geometry of a collapsing shell of null dust is studied, including consistently the back reaction of its Hawking radiation. In this note, we illuminate the implications of their work, focusing on the resolution of the information loss paradox and the problem of the firewall.

Typical event horizons in AdS/CFT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avery, Steven G.; Lowe, David A.

2016-01-01

We consider the construction of local bulk operators in a black hole background dual to a pure state in conformal field theory. The properties of these operators in a microcanonical ensemble are studied. It has been argued in the literature that typical states in such an ensemble contain firewalls, or otherwise singular horizons. We argue this conclusion can be avoided with a proper definition of the interior operators.

Hardware Acceleration for Cyber Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-11-01

perform different approaches. It includes behavioral analysis, by means of NetFlow monitoring, as well as packet content analysis, so called Deep...Interface (API). The example of such application is NetFlow exporter described in [5]. • We provide modified libpcap library using libsze2 API. This...cards. The software applications using NIFIC include FlowMon NetFlow /IPFIX generator, Wireshark packet analyzer, iptables - Linux kernel firewall, deep

Hardwood lumber supply chain: current status and market opportunities

Treesearch

Urs Buehlmann; Matthew Bumgardner; Al Schuler; Mark Barford

2007-01-01

The membership of the Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Association was surveyed in 2005 to determine the current status of large Appalachian sawmills. The primary focus was to assess the impacts of globalization on primary manufacturing, but attention was also paid to general issues affecting the hardwood lumber supply chain-from concerns over forest health and log...

Regeneration patterns of northern white cedar, an old-growth forest dominant

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scott, Michael L.; Murphy, Peter G.

1987-01-01

Regeneration of Thuja occidentalis L. was examined in an old-growth dune forest on South Manitou Island, Michigan. To estimate the current status of cedar regeneration, we determined size structure of seedlings and stems and analyzed present patterns of establishment and persistence relative to substrate type. There has been a shift in the pattern of cedar establishment from soil to log substrates. While 97% of all stems ≥15 cm dbh are associated with a soil substrate, 81% of stems ≥2.5cm-25 cm tall. There was no significant relationship between the state of log decay and the density of seedlings >25 cm in height, indicating that long-term survival is not dependent on the degree of log decomposition. However, survival on logs is associated with canopy openings. Seedlings >25 cm tall were associated with gaps, and 78% of cedar stems (≥2.5 cm dbh) on logs were associated with a single windthrow gap. Thus, current cedar regeneration in this old-growth forest depends on logs and the canopy openings associated with them.

Logging residue removal after thinning in boreal forests: long-term impact on the nutrient status of Norway spruce and Scots pine needles.

PubMed

Luiro, Jukka; Kukkola, Mikko; Saarsalmi, Anna; Tamminen, Pekka; Helmisaari, Heljä-Sisko

2010-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare how conventional stem harvesting (CH) and whole-tree harvesting (WTH) in the first, and in some cases also in the second, thinning affect the needle nutrient status of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stands in Finland. A series of 12 long-term field experiments was studied. The experiments were established during 1978-86. The effects of logging residue removal after thinnings on the needle nutrient concentrations were generally minor and without any overall trends, but there were differences between experiments. Trees tend to maintain their current needle nutrient concentrations at the same level by re-utilizing the nutrients stored in the older tissues and by changing C allocation in the whole tree. Thus, needle analysis should be combined with stem growth data in order to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the effects of WTH on the nutrient status of trees.

Anemia and Iron Status Among Different Body Size Phenotypes in Chinese Adult Population: a Nation-Wide, Health and Nutrition Survey.

PubMed

Li, Jiang; Xiao, Cheng; Yang, Hui; Zhou, Yun; Wang, Rui; Cao, Yongtong

2017-12-09

Previous studies have shown that there is a controversial relationship between iron homeostasis and obesity. This study aims to explore the relationship of anemia and iron status with different body size phenotypes in adult Chinese population. Using information on iron status-related parameters and lifestyle data from 8462 participants of the 2009 wave of China Health and Nutrition Survey (2009 CHNS), we performed multivariable logistic regression analyses to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) for the risk of anemia and iron parameters according to different body size phenotypes. Participants with higher body mass index (BMI) had a lower anemia prevalence with significant trends in both metabolic status groups (P < 0.001). Serum ferritin, transferrin, and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR)/log ferritin index were significant in different metabolic status groups and in different body size phenotypes, respectively. The ORs for higher ferritin and transferrin increased across different body size phenotypes in both genders, and for sTfR/log ferritin index decreased (P < 0.01 for trend). This association was still statistically significant after adjustment for multiple confounders. We found an inverse association of BMI levels with the prevalence of anemia and strong association of serum ferritin and transferrin with higher risk of obesity or overweight in both metabolic status groups.

Unmet refractive need and its determinants in Shahroud, Iran.

PubMed

Emamian, Mohammad Hassan; Zeraati, Hojjat; Majdzadeh, Reza; Shariati, Mohammad; Hashemi, Hassan; Fotouhi, Akbar

2012-08-01

Uncorrected refractive error plays a significant role in poor vision and blindness, and its correction is the most cost-effective intervention in eye care. In this study, we report the status of the unmet refractive need and the role of economic inequality in determining the level of this need in Shahroud, Iran. This cross-sectional nested case-control study was performed on 5,190 individuals aged 40-64 years. Cases and controls were individuals with uncorrected visual acuity worse than 0.3 LogMAR in the better eye who showed at least 0.2 LogMAR improvement after correction. Cases were individuals whose presenting vision was worse than 0.3 in the better eye but improved by at least 0.2 LogMAR after correction. Controls were individuals in whom the difference between the presenting and corrected vision was less than 0.2 LogMAR. The prevalence of the unmet need was 5.7 % and it was more prevalent in women (6.5 %) than in men (4.6 %) (p = 0.003). There was a gap of 19.6 % between the two groups of high and low economic status. The Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition method revealed that differences in the education level of the two groups accounted for half of this gap. Spectacle usage is better in Iran than in some other developing countries; however, in this study, about 40 % of those who required spectacles did not have them.

Introducing high performance distributed logging service for ACS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avarias, Jorge A.; López, Joao S.; Maureira, Cristián; Sommer, Heiko; Chiozzi, Gianluca

2010-07-01

The ALMA Common Software (ACS) is a software framework that provides the infrastructure for the Atacama Large Millimeter Array and other projects. ACS, based on CORBA, offers basic services and common design patterns for distributed software. Every properly built system needs to be able to log status and error information. Logging in a single computer scenario can be as easy as using fprintf statements. However, in a distributed system, it must provide a way to centralize all logging data in a single place without overloading the network nor complicating the applications. ACS provides a complete logging service infrastructure in which every log has an associated priority and timestamp, allowing filtering at different levels of the system (application, service and clients). Currently the ACS logging service uses an implementation of the CORBA Telecom Log Service in a customized way, using only a minimal subset of the features provided by the standard. The most relevant feature used by ACS is the ability to treat the logs as event data that gets distributed over the network in a publisher-subscriber paradigm. For this purpose the CORBA Notification Service, which is resource intensive, is used. On the other hand, the Data Distribution Service (DDS) provides an alternative standard for publisher-subscriber communication for real-time systems, offering better performance and featuring decentralized message processing. The current document describes how the new high performance logging service of ACS has been modeled and developed using DDS, replacing the Telecom Log Service. Benefits and drawbacks are analyzed. A benchmark is presented comparing the differences between the implementations.

USACE AIS Transmit Technical Support Summary Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

the TAG block for the correct transmitters, and then send to the USACE AIS network. B. Outbound openings in the USCG firewall for the USCG Message...USACE AIS Transmit Technical Support Summary Report Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited...September 2014 Report No. CD-D-09-15 USACE AIS Transmit Technical Support Summary Report ii UNCLAS//Public | CG-926 RDC | I. Gonin et al. Public

Focused Logistics, Joint Vision 2010: A Joint Logistics Roadmap

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

AIS). AIT devices include bar codes for individual items, optical memory cards for multipacks and containers, radio frequency tags for containers and...Fortezza Card and Firewall technologies are being developed to prevent unau- thorized access. As for infrastructure, DISA has already made significant in...radio frequency tags and optical memory cards , to continuously update the JTAV database. By September 1998, DSS will be deployed in all wholesale

Typical event horizons in AdS/CFT

DOE PAGES

Avery, Steven G.; Lowe, David A.

2016-01-14

We consider the construction of local bulk operators in a black hole background dual to a pure state in conformal field theory. The properties of these operators in a microcanonical ensemble are studied. It has been argued in the literature that typical states in such an ensemble contain firewalls, or otherwise singular horizons. Here, we argue this conclusion can be avoided with a proper definition of the interior operators.

Recent improvements in the NASA technical report server

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maa, Ming-Hokng; Nelson, Michael L.

1995-01-01

The NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS), a World Wide Web (WWW) report distribution service, has been modified to allow parallel database queries, significantly decreasing user access time by an average factor of 2.3, access from clients behind firewalls and/or proxies which truncate excessively long Uniform Resource Locators (URL's), access to non-Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) databases, and compatibility with the Z39-50.3 protocol.

A System Engineering Study and Concept Development for a Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Operations Management Platform

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-01

and network. The computing and network hardware are identified and include routers, servers, firewalls, laptops , backup hard drives, smart phones...deployable hardware units will be necessary. This includes the use of ruggedized laptops and desktop computers , a projector system, communications system...ENGINEERING STUDY AND CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT FOR A HUMANITARIAN AID AND DISASTER RELIEF OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT PLATFORM by Julie A. Reed September

Can I Use This App or Website for My Class? What to Know about Instructing Teachers and Students on Digital Citizenship, Digital Footprints, and Cybersafety

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Beth

2016-01-01

This article addresses the question of what app or website is appropriate for teachers to use for classroom instruction. While most school districts have safety policies related to the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) and the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) implemented by means of software and district firewalls, this…

Awaiting the Cyber 9/11

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-11

REPORT TYPE 3. DATES COVERED (From- To) 11-04-2012 12, Master of Military Studies Research Paper Sep 2011 -Apr 2012 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Sa...DISCLAIMER THE OPINIONS AND CONCLUSIONS EXPRESSED HEREIN ARE THOSE OF THE INDIVIDUAL STUDENT AUTHOR AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT THE...rely on firewalls to block attacks. This method is similar to the post World War I French creation of the Maginot Line.11 The Maginot Line was an

MAIT cells: new guardians of the liver.

PubMed

Kurioka, Ayako; Walker, Lucy J; Klenerman, Paul; Willberg, Christian B

2016-08-01

The liver is an important immunological organ that remains sterile and tolerogenic in homeostasis, despite continual exposure to non-self food and microbial-derived products from the gut. However, where intestinal mucosal defenses are breached or in the presence of a systemic infection, the liver acts as a second 'firewall', because of its enrichment with innate effector cells able to rapidly respond to infections or tissue dysregulation. One of the largest populations of T cells within the human liver are mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, a novel innate-like T-cell population that can recognize a highly conserved antigen derived from the microbial riboflavin synthesis pathway. MAIT cells are emerging as significant players in the human immune system, associated with an increasing number of clinical diseases of bacterial, viral, autoimmune and cancerous origin. As reviewed here, we are only beginning to investigate the potential role of this dominant T-cell subset in the liver, but the reactivity of MAIT cells to both inflammatory cytokines and riboflavin derivatives suggests that MAIT cells may have an important role in first line of defense as part of the liver firewall. As such, MAIT cells are promising targets for modulating the host defense and inflammation in both acute and chronic liver diseases.

MAIT cells: new guardians of the liver

PubMed Central

Kurioka, Ayako; Walker, Lucy J; Klenerman, Paul; Willberg, Christian B

2016-01-01

The liver is an important immunological organ that remains sterile and tolerogenic in homeostasis, despite continual exposure to non-self food and microbial-derived products from the gut. However, where intestinal mucosal defenses are breached or in the presence of a systemic infection, the liver acts as a second 'firewall', because of its enrichment with innate effector cells able to rapidly respond to infections or tissue dysregulation. One of the largest populations of T cells within the human liver are mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells, a novel innate-like T-cell population that can recognize a highly conserved antigen derived from the microbial riboflavin synthesis pathway. MAIT cells are emerging as significant players in the human immune system, associated with an increasing number of clinical diseases of bacterial, viral, autoimmune and cancerous origin. As reviewed here, we are only beginning to investigate the potential role of this dominant T-cell subset in the liver, but the reactivity of MAIT cells to both inflammatory cytokines and riboflavin derivatives suggests that MAIT cells may have an important role in first line of defense as part of the liver firewall. As such, MAIT cells are promising targets for modulating the host defense and inflammation in both acute and chronic liver diseases. PMID:27588203

The current status of red spruce in the eastern United States: distribution, population trends, and environmental drivers

Treesearch

Gregory Nowacki; Robert Carr; Michael. Van Dyck

2010-01-01

Red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) was affected by an array of direct (logging, fire, and grazing) and indirect human activities (acid deposition) over the past centuries. To adequately assess past impacts on red spruce, thus helping frame its restoration potential, requires a clear understanding of its current status. To achieve this, Forest and...

Walking training and cortisol to DHEA-S ratio in postmenopause: An intervention study.

PubMed

Di Blasio, Andrea; Izzicupo, Pascal; Di Baldassarre, Angela; Gallina, Sabina; Bucci, Ines; Giuliani, Cesidio; Di Santo, Serena; Di Iorio, Angelo; Ripari, Patrizio; Napolitano, Giorgio

2018-04-01

The literature indicates that the plasma cortisol-to-dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) ratio is a marker of health status after menopause, when a decline in both estrogen and DHEA-S and an increase in cortisol occur. An increase in the cortisol-to-DHEA-S ratio has been positively correlated with metabolic syndrome, all-cause mortality, cancer, and other diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a walking program on the plasma cortisol-to-DHEA-S ratio in postmenopausal women. Fifty-one postmenopausal women participated in a 13-week supervised walking program, in the metropolitan area of Pescara (Italy), from June to September 2013. Participants were evaluated in April-May and September-October of the same year. The linear mixed model showed that the variation of the log 10 Cortisol-to-log 10 DHEA-S ratio was associated with the volume of exercise (p = .03). Participants having lower adherence to the walking program did not have a significantly modified log 10 Cortisol or log 10 DHEA-S, while those having the highest adherence had a significant reduction in log 10 Cortisol (p = .016) and a nearly significant increase in log 10 DHEA-S (p = .084). Walking training appeared to reduce the plasma log 10 Cortisol-to-log 10 DHEA-S ratio, although a minimum level of training was necessary to achieve this significant reduction.

Fatigue shifts and scatters heart rate variability in elite endurance athletes.

PubMed

Schmitt, Laurent; Regnard, Jacques; Desmarets, Maxime; Mauny, Fréderic; Mourot, Laurent; Fouillot, Jean-Pierre; Coulmy, Nicolas; Millet, Grégoire

2013-01-01

This longitudinal study aimed at comparing heart rate variability (HRV) in elite athletes identified either in 'fatigue' or in 'no-fatigue' state in 'real life' conditions. 57 elite Nordic-skiers were surveyed over 4 years. R-R intervals were recorded supine (SU) and standing (ST). A fatigue state was quoted with a validated questionnaire. A multilevel linear regression model was used to analyze relationships between heart rate (HR) and HRV descriptors [total spectral power (TP), power in low (LF) and high frequency (HF) ranges expressed in ms(2) and normalized units (nu)] and the status without and with fatigue. The variables not distributed normally were transformed by taking their common logarithm (log10). 172 trials were identified as in a 'fatigue' and 891 as in 'no-fatigue' state. All supine HR and HRV parameters (Beta±SE) were significantly different (P<0.0001) between 'fatigue' and 'no-fatigue': HRSU (+6.27±0.61 bpm), logTPSU (-0.36±0.04), logLFSU (-0.27±0.04), logHFSU (-0.46±0.05), logLF/HFSU (+0.19±0.03), HFSU(nu) (-9.55±1.33). Differences were also significant (P<0.0001) in standing: HRST (+8.83±0.89), logTPST (-0.28±0.03), logLFST (-0.29±0.03), logHFST (-0.32±0.04). Also, intra-individual variance of HRV parameters was larger (P<0.05) in the 'fatigue' state (logTPSU: 0.26 vs. 0.07, logLFSU: 0.28 vs. 0.11, logHFSU: 0.32 vs. 0.08, logTPST: 0.13 vs. 0.07, logLFST: 0.16 vs. 0.07, logHFST: 0.25 vs. 0.14). HRV was significantly lower in 'fatigue' vs. 'no-fatigue' but accompanied with larger intra-individual variance of HRV parameters in 'fatigue'. The broader intra-individual variance of HRV parameters might encompass different changes from no-fatigue state, possibly reflecting different fatigue-induced alterations of HRV pattern.

An Examination of Forest Certification Status among Logging Companies in Cameroon

PubMed Central

Nukpezah, Daniel; Alemagi, Dieudonne; Duguma, Lalisa; Minang, Peter; Mbosso, Charlie; Tchoundjeu, Zac

2014-01-01

This paper assesses the level of interest, awareness, and adoption of ISO 14001 and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification schemes among logging companies in Cameroon. Eleven logging companies located in Douala in the Littoral Region of Cameroon were assessed through a structured interview using an administered questionnaire which was mostly analyzed qualitatively thereafter. The findings indicated that none of the companies was certified for ISO 14001; however 63.64% of them were already FSC-certified. Four companies (36.36%) were neither FSC- nor ISO 14001 EMS-certified. Among the factors found to influence the adoption rate was the level of awareness about ISO 14001 and FSC certification schemes. The main drivers for pursuing FSC certification were easy penetration into international markets, tax holiday benefits, and enhancement of corporate image of the logging companies through corporate social responsibility fulfillments. Poor domestic market for certified products was found to be the major impediment to get certified. To make logging activities more environmentally friendly and socially acceptable, logging companies should be encouraged to get certified through the ISO 14001 EMS scheme which is almost nonexistent so far. This requires awareness creation about the scheme, encouraging domestic markets for certified products and creating policy incentives. PMID:27355041

An Examination of Forest Certification Status among Logging Companies in Cameroon.

PubMed

Nukpezah, Daniel; Alemagi, Dieudonne; Duguma, Lalisa; Minang, Peter; Mbosso, Charlie; Tchoundjeu, Zac

2014-01-01

This paper assesses the level of interest, awareness, and adoption of ISO 14001 and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification schemes among logging companies in Cameroon. Eleven logging companies located in Douala in the Littoral Region of Cameroon were assessed through a structured interview using an administered questionnaire which was mostly analyzed qualitatively thereafter. The findings indicated that none of the companies was certified for ISO 14001; however 63.64% of them were already FSC-certified. Four companies (36.36%) were neither FSC- nor ISO 14001 EMS-certified. Among the factors found to influence the adoption rate was the level of awareness about ISO 14001 and FSC certification schemes. The main drivers for pursuing FSC certification were easy penetration into international markets, tax holiday benefits, and enhancement of corporate image of the logging companies through corporate social responsibility fulfillments. Poor domestic market for certified products was found to be the major impediment to get certified. To make logging activities more environmentally friendly and socially acceptable, logging companies should be encouraged to get certified through the ISO 14001 EMS scheme which is almost nonexistent so far. This requires awareness creation about the scheme, encouraging domestic markets for certified products and creating policy incentives.

77 FR 60006 - Hours of Service of Drivers: Trailways Companies Application for Exemption

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-01

... drive in a duty period. Without the 1996 interpretation, the times drivers spend at stops to load... requirement to enter a change in duty status on the daily log for breaks in driving time of 10 minutes or less.... Such time would not be considered a change of duty status for the purposes of 49 CFR 395.8(c). FMCSA...

Relationship between vitamin D and inflammatory markers in older individuals.

PubMed

De Vita, Francesca; Lauretani, Fulvio; Bauer, Juergen; Bautmans, Ivan; Shardell, Michelle; Cherubini, Antonio; Bondi, Giuliana; Zuliani, Giovanni; Bandinelli, Stefania; Pedrazzoni, Mario; Dall'Aglio, Elisabetta; Ceda, Gian Paolo; Maggio, Marcello

2014-01-01

In older persons, vitamin D insufficiency and a subclinical chronic inflammatory status frequently coexist. Vitamin D has immune-modulatory and in vitro anti-inflammatory properties. However, there is inconclusive evidence about the anti-inflammatory role of vitamin D in older subjects. Thus, we investigated the hypothesis of an inverse relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and inflammatory markers in a population-based study of older individuals. After excluding participants with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) ≥ 10 mg/dl and those who were on chronic anti-inflammatory treatment, we evaluated 867 older adults ≥65 years from the InCHIANTI Study. Participants had complete data on serum concentrations of 25(OH)D, hsCRP, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, soluble TNF-α receptors 1 and 2, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-1 receptor antagonist, IL-10, IL-18, IL-6, and soluble IL-6 receptors (sIL6r and sgp130). Two general linear models were fit (model 1-adjusted for age, sex, and parathyroid hormone (PTH); model 2-including covariates of model 1 plus dietary and smoking habits, physical activity, ADL disability, season, osteoporosis, depressive status, and comorbidities). The mean age was 75.1 ± 17.1 years ± SD. In model 1, log(25OH-D) was significantly and inversely associated with log(IL-6) (β ± SE = -0.11 ± 0.03, p = <0.0001) and log (hsCRP) (β ± SE = -0.04 ± 0.02, p = 0.04) and positively associated with log(sIL6r) (β ± SE = 0.11 ± 0.04, p = 0.003) but not with other inflammatory markers. In model 2, log (25OH-D) remained negatively associated with log (IL-6) (β ± SE = -0.10 ± 0.03, p = 0.0001) and positively associated with log(sIL6r) (β ± SE = 0.11 ± 0.03, p = 0.004) but not with log(hsCRP) (β ± SE = -0.01 ± 0.03, p = 0.07). 25(OH)D is independently and inversely associated with IL-6 and positively with sIL6r, suggesting a potential anti-inflammatory role for vitamin D in older individuals.

The Internet--Flames, Firewalls and the Future. Proceedings for the 1995 Conference of the Council for Higher Education Computing Services (CHECS) (Roswell, New Mexico, November 8-10, 1995).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suiter, Martha, Ed.

This set of proceedings assembles papers presented at the 1995 Council for Higher Education Computing Services (CHECS) conference, held at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico. CHECS members are higher education computing services organizations within the state of New Mexico. The main focus of the conference was the Internet…

77 FR 10512 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-22

... show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject to search. Visitors will be provided an...

77 FR 21769 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-11

... show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject to search. Visitors will be provided an...

50 CFR 300.22 - Eastern Pacific fisheries recordkeeping and written reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... accurate log of operations conducted from the fishing vessel. For vessels greater than 400 st (362.8 mt... active status will be prioritized according to the following hierarchy: (1) Requests received for vessels...

Physician office readiness for managing Internet security threats.

PubMed

Keshavjee, K; Pairaudeau, N; Bhanji, A

2006-01-01

Internet security threats are evolving toward more targeted and focused attacks.Increasingly, organized crime is involved and they are interested in identity theft. Physicians who use Internet in their practice are at risk for being invaded. We studied 16 physician practices in Southern Ontario for their readiness to manage internet security threats. Overall, physicians have an over-inflated sense of preparedness. Security practices such as maintaining a firewall and conducting regular virus checks were not consistently done.

Physician Office Readiness for Managing Internet Security Threats

PubMed Central

Keshavjee, K; Pairaudeau, N; Bhanji, A

2006-01-01

Internet security threats are evolving toward more targeted and focused attacks. Increasingly, organized crime is involved and they are interested in identity theft. Physicians who use Internet in their practice are at risk for being invaded. We studied 16 physician practices in Southern Ontario for their readiness to manage internet security threats. Overall, physicians have an over-inflated sense of preparedness. Security practices such as maintaining a firewall and conducting regular virus checks were not consistently done. PMID:17238600

Weathering the Cyber Storm: The Military’s Resiliency to Cyber Attacks in Future Warfare

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

observation. While the ability to collect intelligence is important, it falls under a different rubric than warfare itself. 20 Another term worth...the use of antivirus programs, firewalls, and security policies. These measures also fall under the rubric of information assurance, or “measures that...specifying how it is to be accomplished.” of genetic diversity. 13 A complaint after Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) was that soldiers had to

Network Security and the NPS Internet Firewall.

DTIC Science & Technology

1994-09-16

NIS between clients and servers. The ypxfr service is used for trans- Network Information ferring the /etc/ passwd file from the master server to the...slave Service servers. If the NIS domain name is guessed, an outsider can get a copy of the /etc/ passwd file. Table 5: Network Services With Known...TCP ports 20 and 21), for the ftp network service: outside% ftp 131.120.50.151 ftp> get /etc/ passwd /tmp/passwd.inside (login process...) ftp> cd nttcp

The persistence of the large volumes in black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ong, Yen Chin

2015-08-01

Classically, black holes admit maximal interior volumes that grow asymptotically linearly in time. We show that such volumes remain large when Hawking evaporation is taken into account. Even if a charged black hole approaches the extremal limit during this evolution, its volume continues to grow; although an exactly extremal black hole does not have a "large interior". We clarify this point and discuss the implications of our results to the information loss and firewall paradoxes.

Prospects for Evidence -Based Software Assurance: Models and Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-01

virtual machine is much lighter than the workstation. The virtual machine doesn’t need to run anti- virus , firewalls, intrusion preven- tion systems...34] Maiorca, D., Corona , I., and Giacinto, G. Looking at the bag is not enough to find the bomb: An evasion of structural methods for malicious PDF...CCS ’13, ACM, pp. 119–130. [35] Maiorca, D., Giacinto, G., and Corona , I. A pattern recognition system for malicious PDF files detection. In

Modeling and Analyzing Intrusion Attempts to a Computer Network Operating in a Defense in Depth Posture

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-09-01

protection. Firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS’s), Anti-Virus (AV) software , and routers are such tools used. In recent years, computer security...associated with operating systems, application software , and computing hardware. When IDS’s are utilized on a host computer or network, there are two...primary approaches to detecting and / or preventing attacks. Traditional IDS’s, like most AV software , rely on known “signatures” to detect attacks

SDN-based path hopping communication against eavesdropping attack

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Chuanhao; Bu, Youjun; Zhao, Zheng

2016-10-01

Network eavesdropping is one of the most popular means used by cyber attackers, which has been a severe threat to network communication security. Adversaries could capture and analyze network communication data from network nodes or links, monitor network status and steal sensitive data such as username and password etc. Traditional network usually uses static network configuration, and existing defense methods, including firewall, IDS, IPS etc., cannot prevent eavesdropping, which has no distinguishing characteristic. Network eavesdropping become silent during most of the time of the attacking process, which is why it is difficult to discover and to defend. But A successful eavesdropping attack also has its' precondition, which is the target path should be relatively stable and has enough time of duration. So, In order to resolve this problem, it has to work on the network architecture. In this paper, a path hopping communication(PHC) mechanism based on Software Define Network (SDN) was proposed to solve this problem. In PHC, Ends in communication packets as well as the routing paths were changed dynamically. Therefore, the traffic would be distributed to multiple flows and transmitted along different paths. so that Network eavesdropping attack could be prevented effectively. It was concluded that PHC was able to increase the overhead of Network eavesdropping, as well as the difficulty of communication data recovery.

Eating frequency and overweight and obesity in children and adolescents: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Kaisari, Panagiota; Yannakoulia, Mary; Panagiotakos, Demosthenes B

2013-05-01

To determine the effect of eating frequency on body weight status in children and adolescents. In this meta-analysis, original observational studies published to October 2011 were selected through a literature search in the PubMed database. The reference list of the retrieved articles was also used to identify relevant articles; researchers were contacted when needed. Selected studies were published in English, and they reported on the effect of eating frequency on overweight/obesity in children and adolescents. Pooled effect sizes were calculated using a random effects model. Ten cross-sectional studies and 1 case-control study (21 substudies in total), comprising 18 849 participants (aged 2-19 years), were included in the analysis. Their combined effect revealed that the highest category of eating frequency, as compared with the lowest, was associated with a beneficial effect regarding body weight status in children and adolescents (odds ratio [OR] = 0.78, log OR = -0.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.41 to -0.06). The observed beneficial effect remained significant in boys (OR = 0.76, log OR = -0.27, 95% CI -0.47 to -0.06), but not in girls (OR = 0.96, log OR = -0.04, 95% CI -0.40 to 0.32) (P for sex differences = 0.14). Higher eating frequency was associated with lower body weight status in children and adolescents, mainly in boys. Clinical trials are warranted to confirm this inverse association, evaluate its clinical applicability, and support a public health recommendation; more studies are also needed to further investigate any sex-related differences, and most importantly, the biological mechanisms.

Assessment of carbon pools in production forest, Pahang, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azian, M.; Nizam, M. S.; Samsudin, M.; Ismail, P.

2016-11-01

Forest is one of the main sources of carbon stock. Forest plays a key role in sustainable management by providing different aspects of forest ecosystem such as source of timber products, provide of clean water, food sources, etc. A study was conducted to assess carbon pools in selected production forest of Pahang, Malaysia. There are five main types of carbon pools that are recognized available in the forest, i.e. aboveground biomass (AGB), belowground biomass (BGB), deadwood, litter and soil; that these components of carbon pools can accumulate and release carbon into the atmosphere. Five sites with different years of logging period representing status of the forest were selected (i.e. before logging (PU), immediate after logging (P0), after 10 (P10), 20 (P20) and 30 (P30) years of logging). Twenty plots of 0.25 ha (50 m × 50 m) each were established with a total sampling area of 1.0 ha at each site. All trees with ≥10 cm diameter at breast height (dbh) were tagged, identified and measured. Soil at 0-30 cm, litter and dead wood were sampled and collected in every each of sub-plots to determine and assess carbon stocks within sites. The results indicated that AGB carbon had highest portion of carbon compared to soil, BGB, deadwood and litter, which comprised about 63% of the total carbon pools. It was followed by soil and BGB that comprised about 22% and 13%, respectively. Deadwood and litter contributes the same percentage which is about 1%. In terms of status of the forest, AGB contained the highest carbon which is range from 110.49 tC ha-1 to 164.49 tC ha-1 compared with soil (33.72 tC ha-1 to 68.51 tC ha-1), BGB tC ha-1 to 34 tC ha-1), deadwood (1.57 tC ha-1 to 5.55 tC ha-1) and litter (1.42 tC ha-1 to 2.19 tC ha-1). Results from this study will be very helpful as baseline of carbon storage in different status of forest from before harvesting to logged-over forest and the impact of harvesting on the carbon stock in Pahang and Peninsular Malaysia as a whole.

77 FR 69824 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-11-21

... identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject to search. Visitors will be provided an EPA/DC badge that must be...

Fatigue Shifts and Scatters Heart Rate Variability in Elite Endurance Athletes

PubMed Central

Schmitt, Laurent; Regnard, Jacques; Desmarets, Maxime; Mauny, Fréderic; Mourot, Laurent; Fouillot, Jean-Pierre; Coulmy, Nicolas; Millet, Grégoire

2013-01-01

Purpose This longitudinal study aimed at comparing heart rate variability (HRV) in elite athletes identified either in ‘fatigue’ or in ‘no-fatigue’ state in ‘real life’ conditions. Methods 57 elite Nordic-skiers were surveyed over 4 years. R-R intervals were recorded supine (SU) and standing (ST). A fatigue state was quoted with a validated questionnaire. A multilevel linear regression model was used to analyze relationships between heart rate (HR) and HRV descriptors [total spectral power (TP), power in low (LF) and high frequency (HF) ranges expressed in ms2 and normalized units (nu)] and the status without and with fatigue. The variables not distributed normally were transformed by taking their common logarithm (log10). Results 172 trials were identified as in a ‘fatigue’ and 891 as in ‘no-fatigue’ state. All supine HR and HRV parameters (Beta±SE) were significantly different (P<0.0001) between ‘fatigue’ and ‘no-fatigue’: HRSU (+6.27±0.61 bpm), logTPSU (−0.36±0.04), logLFSU (−0.27±0.04), logHFSU (−0.46±0.05), logLF/HFSU (+0.19±0.03), HFSU(nu) (−9.55±1.33). Differences were also significant (P<0.0001) in standing: HRST (+8.83±0.89), logTPST (−0.28±0.03), logLFST (−0.29±0.03), logHFST (−0.32±0.04). Also, intra-individual variance of HRV parameters was larger (P<0.05) in the ‘fatigue’ state (logTPSU: 0.26 vs. 0.07, logLFSU: 0.28 vs. 0.11, logHFSU: 0.32 vs. 0.08, logTPST: 0.13 vs. 0.07, logLFST: 0.16 vs. 0.07, logHFST: 0.25 vs. 0.14). Conclusion HRV was significantly lower in 'fatigue' vs. 'no-fatigue' but accompanied with larger intra-individual variance of HRV parameters in 'fatigue'. The broader intra-individual variance of HRV parameters might encompass different changes from no-fatigue state, possibly reflecting different fatigue-induced alterations of HRV pattern. PMID:23951198

The role of nailfold capillary dropout on mortality in systemic sclerosis.

PubMed

Tieu, Joanna; Hakendorf, Paul; Woodman, Richard J; Patterson, Karen; Walker, Jenny; Roberts-Thomson, Peter

2018-05-01

Semi-quantitative wide-field nailfold capillaroscopy (NFC) is a simple technique with proven utility in the early diagnosis of systemic sclerosis (SSc). Its role in prognosis, however, remains uncertain. To investigate the possible utility of NFC in predicting survival. Patients with SSc listed on the South Australian Scleroderma Register (SASR) with prior NFC performed at Flinders Medical Centre from 1991 to 2015 were included in this study. Baseline demographic data, diagnosis, scleroderma antibody status and mortality status were also collected for each patient. The cohort consisted of 99 patients with limited cutaneous SSc, 30 patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc and 23 with an overlap scleroderma syndrome. Fifty-six patients died during the period of study (censured end June 2015). Patients with diffuse scleroderma had significantly greater capillary dropout compared with limited and overlap scleroderma (P < 0.001). In univariate analysis, both capillary dropout scores (log-rank χ 2 = 8.75, P = 0.003) and antibody status (log-rank χ 2 = 13.94, P = 0.003) were associated with mortality. ANOVA showed a significant association between antibody status and capillary dropout (P < 0.001). In Cox regression, adjustment for capillary dropout attenuated the impact of autoantibody group on survival. Nailfold capillary dropout was significantly associated with mortality and the severity of dropout attenuates survival dictated by antibody status. Together these observations support the hypothesis that capillary dropout is on the causal pathway between induction of scleroderma associated autoantibodies and mortality. © 2018 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

Plasma-Spray Metal Coating On Foam

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cranston, J.

1994-01-01

Molds, forms, and other substrates made of foams coated with metals by plasma spraying. Foam might be ceramic, carbon, metallic, organic, or inorganic. After coat applied by plasma spraying, foam left intact or removed by acid leaching, conventional machining, water-jet cutting, or another suitable technique. Cores or vessels made of various foam materials plasma-coated with metals according to method useful as thermally insulating containers for foods, liquids, or gases, or as mandrels for making composite-material (matrix/fiber) parts, or making thermally insulating firewalls in automobiles.

Gauge-gravity duality and the black hole interior.

PubMed

Marolf, Donald; Polchinski, Joseph

2013-10-25

We present a further argument that typical black holes with field theory duals have firewalls at the horizon. This argument makes no reference to entanglement between the black hole and any distant system, and so is not evaded by identifying degrees of freedom inside the black hole with those outside. We also address the Einstein-Rosen=Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen conjecture of Maldacena and Susskind, arguing that the correlations in generic highly entangled states cannot be geometrized as a smooth wormhole.

Addressing software security and mitigations in the life cycle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilliam, David; Powell, John; Haugh, Eric; Bishop, Matt

2003-01-01

Traditionally, security is viewed as an organizational and Information Technology (IIJ systems function comprising of Firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), system security settings and patches to the operating system (OS) and applications running on it. Until recently, little thought has been given to the importance of security as a formal approach in the software life cycle. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has approached the problem through the development of an integrated formal Software Security Assessment Instrument (SSAI) with six foci for the software life cycle.

Addressing software security and mitigations in the life cycle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gilliam, David; Powell, John; Haugh, Eric; Bishop, Matt

2004-01-01

Traditionally, security is viewed as an organizational and Information Technology (IT) systems function comprising of firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), system security settings and patches to the operating system (OS) and applications running on it. Until recently, little thought has been given to the importance of security as a formal approach in the software life cycle. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory has approached the problem through the development of an integrated formal Software Security Assessment Instrument (SSAI) with six foci for the software life cycle.

Law Enforcement’s Dilemma: Fighting 21st Century Encrypted Communications with 20th Century Legislation

DTIC Science & Technology

2018-03-01

Update. 187 Rishi Iyengar, “Apple Is Removing VPN Apps that Allow Users to Skirt China’s Great Firewall,” CNN Money , July 29, 2017, http...On iCloud,” CNN Money , February 22, 2016, http://money.cnn.com/2016/02/22/technology/apple-privacy-icloud/index.html. 213 District Attorney, New...it now stands, targets of investigation can communicate surreptitiously on various platforms free from detection.236 James Comey, the former

Optimizing the NASA Technical Report Server

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, Michael L.; Maa, Ming-Hokng

1996-01-01

The NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS), a World Wide Web report distribution NASA technical publications service, is modified for performance enhancement, greater protocol support, and human interface optimization. Results include: Parallel database queries, significantly decreasing user access times by an average factor of 2.3; access from clients behind firewalls and/ or proxies which truncate excessively long Uniform Resource Locators (URLs); access to non-Wide Area Information Server (WAIS) databases and compatibility with the 239-50.3 protocol; and a streamlined user interface.

Use of a secure Internet Web site for collaborative medical research.

PubMed

Marshall, W W; Haley, R W

2000-10-11

Researchers who collaborate on clinical research studies from diffuse locations need a convenient, inexpensive, secure way to record and manage data. The Internet, with its World Wide Web, provides a vast network that enables researchers with diverse types of computers and operating systems anywhere in the world to log data through a common interface. Development of a Web site for scientific data collection can be organized into 10 steps, including planning the scientific database, choosing a database management software system, setting up database tables for each collaborator's variables, developing the Web site's screen layout, choosing a middleware software system to tie the database software to the Web site interface, embedding data editing and calculation routines, setting up the database on the central server computer, obtaining a unique Internet address and name for the Web site, applying security measures to the site, and training staff who enter data. Ensuring the security of an Internet database requires limiting the number of people who have access to the server, setting up the server on a stand-alone computer, requiring user-name and password authentication for server and Web site access, installing a firewall computer to prevent break-ins and block bogus information from reaching the server, verifying the identity of the server and client computers with certification from a certificate authority, encrypting information sent between server and client computers to avoid eavesdropping, establishing audit trails to record all accesses into the Web site, and educating Web site users about security techniques. When these measures are carefully undertaken, in our experience, information for scientific studies can be collected and maintained on Internet databases more efficiently and securely than through conventional systems of paper records protected by filing cabinets and locked doors. JAMA. 2000;284:1843-1849.

Association between feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) plasma viral RNA load, concentration of acute phase proteins and disease severity.

PubMed

Kann, Rebecca K C; Seddon, Jennifer M; Kyaw-Tanner, Myat T; Henning, Joerg; Meers, Joanne

2014-08-01

Veterinarians have few tools to predict the rate of disease progression in FIV-infected cats. In contrast, in HIV infection, plasma viral RNA load and acute phase protein concentrations are commonly used as predictors of disease progression. This study evaluated these predictors in cats naturally infected with FIV. In older cats (>5 years), log10 FIV RNA load was higher in the terminal stages of disease compared to the asymptomatic stage. There was a significant association between log10 FIV RNA load and both log10 serum amyloid A concentration and age in unwell FIV-infected cats. This study suggests that viral RNA load and serum amyloid A warrant further investigation as predictors of disease status and prognosis in FIV-infected cats. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Serum Spot 14 concentration is negatively associated with thyroid-stimulating hormone level

PubMed Central

Chen, Yen-Ting; Tseng, Fen-Yu; Chen, Pei-Lung; Chi, Yu-Chao; Han, Der-Sheng; Yang, Wei-Shiung

2016-01-01

Abstract Spot 14 (S14) is a protein involved in fatty acid synthesis and was shown to be induced by thyroid hormone in rat liver. However, the presence of S14 in human serum and its relations with thyroid function status have not been investigated. The objectives of this study were to compare serum S14 concentrations in patients with hyperthyroidism or euthyroidism and to evaluate the associations between serum S14 and free thyroxine (fT4) or thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. We set up an immunoassay for human serum S14 concentrations and compared its levels between hyperthyroid and euthyroid subjects. Twenty-six hyperthyroid patients and 29 euthyroid individuals were recruited. Data of all patients were pooled for the analysis of the associations between the levels of S14 and fT4, TSH, or quartile of TSH. The hyperthyroid patients had significantly higher serum S14 levels than the euthyroid subjects (median [Q1, Q3]: 975 [669, 1612] ng/mL vs 436 [347, 638] ng/mL, P < 0.001). In univariate linear regression, the log-transformed S14 level (logS14) was positively associated with fT4 but negatively associated with creatinine (Cre), total cholesterol (T-C), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and TSH. The positive associations between logS14 and fT4 and the negative associations between logS14 and Cre, TG, T-C, or TSH remained significant after adjustment with sex and age. These associations were prominent in females but not in males. The logS14 levels were negatively associated with the TSH levels grouped by quartile (ß = −0.3020, P < 0.001). The association between logS14 and TSH quartile persisted after adjustment with sex and age (ß = −0.2828, P = 0.001). In stepwise multivariate regression analysis, only TSH grouped by quartile remained significantly associated with logS14 level. We developed an ELISA to measure serum S14 levels in human. Female patients with hyperthyroidism had higher serum S14 levels than the female subjects with euthyroidism. The serum logS14 concentrations were negatively associated with TSH levels. Changes of serum S14 level in the whole thyroid function spectrum deserve further investigation. PMID:27749565

76 FR 57734 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-16

... are required to show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject to search. Visitors will... metals and nutrients in water. [[Page 57736

NERSC News

Science.gov Websites

Performance Data, Analytics & Services Job Logs & Statistics Training & Tutorials Software Outages NERSC Training Spectrum Scale User Group Meeting Live Status Now Computing Queue Look MOTD » Deep Learning at 15 PFlops Enables Training for Extreme Weather Identification at Scale March 29, 2018

Multiple measures of physical activity, dietary habits and weight status in African American and Hispanic or Latina women.

PubMed

Lee, Rebecca E; Mama, Scherezade K; Medina, Ashley V; Reese-Smith, Jacqueline Y; Banda, Jorge A; Layne, Charles S; Baxter, Meggin; O'Connor, Daniel P; McNeill, Lorna; Estabrooks, Paul A

2011-12-01

Compared measures of physical activity and dietary habits used in the Health Is Power (HIP) study, and described the associations of physical activity and dietary habits among African American and Hispanic or Latino women, adjusted for weight status. Cross-sectional baseline data were compared for community dwelling, healthy African American (N = 262) and Hispanic or Latina women (N = 148) who participated in HIP. Physical activity was measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) long form, the Check And Line Questionnaire (CALQ) log and accelerometry. Dietary habits were measured using NCI 24-h recall screeners, vegetable and fruit (VF) logs and the NCI Diet History Questionnaire (DHQ). Differences in physical activity and dietary habits were assessed using simultaneous 2 (ethnicity) × 3 (weight status) ANCOVAs adjusted for age and socioeconomic status. Women (M age = 44.4 ± 10.9 years) were obese (M = 34.0 ± 9.7 kg/m(2)), did not meet physical activity guidelines as measured by accelerometry (M = 19.4 ± 19.1 min MVPA/day) and ate few VF (M = 2.8 ± 2.7 servings/day). DHQ variables differed by weight status. IPAQ was associated with CALQ, and CALQ with accelerometry (P < .05). IPAQ was not associated with accelerometry. Regardless of ethnicity, normal weight women did more physical activity, reported more VF consumption, and consumed more fat calories than overweight and obese women (Ps < .05). African American women did more MVPA than Hispanic or Latino women (P < .001). Relationships between behaviors and weight status suggest accelerometry and DHQ are preferable, regardless of ethnicity; and studies may capture different domains of physical activity and dietary habits depending on measure used.

Use of Wilms Tumor 1 Gene Expression as a Reliable Marker for Prognosis and Minimal Residual Disease Monitoring in Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Normal Karyotype Patients.

PubMed

Marjanovic, Irena; Karan-Djurasevic, Teodora; Ugrin, Milena; Virijevic, Marijana; Vidovic, Ana; Tomin, Dragica; Suvajdzic Vukovic, Nada; Pavlovic, Sonja; Tosic, Natasa

2017-05-01

Acute myeloid leukemia with normal karyotype (AML-NK) represents the largest group of AML patients classified with an intermediate prognosis. A constant need exists to introduce new molecular markers for more precise risk stratification and for minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring. Quantitative assessment of Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) gene transcripts was performed using real-time polymerase chain reaction. The bone marrow samples were collected at the diagnosis from 104 AML-NK patients and from 34 of these patients during follow-up or disease relapse. We found that overexpression of the WT1 gene (WT1 high status), present in 25.5% of patients, was an independent unfavorable factor for achieving complete remission. WT1 high status was also associated with resistance to therapy and shorter disease-free survival and overall survival. Assessment of the log reduction value of WT1 expression, measured in paired diagnosis/complete remission samples, revealed that patients with a log reduction of < 2 had a tendency toward shorter disease-free survival and overall survival and a greater incidence of disease relapse. Combining WT1 gene expression status with NPM1 and FLT3-ITD mutational status, we found that the tumor behavior of intermediate patients (FLT3-ITD - /NPM1 - double negative) with WT1 high status is almost the same as the tumor behavior of the adverse risk group. WT1 expression status represents a good molecular marker of prognosis, response to treatment, and MRD monitoring. Above all, the usage of the WT1 expression level as an additional marker for more precise risk stratification of AML-NK patients could lead to more adapted, personalized treatment protocols. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using cyber vulnerability testing techniques to expose undocumented security vulnerabilities in DCS and SCADA equipment

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

Pollet, J.

2006-07-01

This session starts by providing an overview of typical DCS (Distributed Control Systems) and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) architectures, and exposes cyber security vulnerabilities that vendors never admit, but are found through a comprehensive cyber testing process. A complete assessment process involves testing all of the layers and components of a SCADA or DCS environment, from the perimeter firewall all the way down to the end devices controlling the process, including what to look for when conducting a vulnerability assessment of real-time control systems. The following systems are discussed: 1. Perimeter (isolation from corporate IT or other non-criticalmore » networks) 2. Remote Access (third Party access into SCADA or DCS networks) 3. Network Architecture (switch, router, firewalls, access controls, network design) 4. Network Traffic Analysis (what is running on the network) 5. Host Operating Systems Hardening 6. Applications (how they communicate with other applications and end devices) 7. End Device Testing (PLCs, RTUs, DCS Controllers, Smart Transmitters) a. System Discovery b. Functional Discovery c. Attack Methodology i. DoS Tests (at what point does the device fail) ii. Malformed Packet Tests (packets that can cause equipment failure) iii. Session Hijacking (do anything that the operator can do) iv. Packet Injection (code and inject your own SCADA commands) v. Protocol Exploitation (Protocol Reverse Engineering / Fuzzing) This paper will provide information compiled from over five years of conducting cyber security testing on control systems hardware, software, and systems. (authors)« less

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Florida Commission on the Status of Women held June 7 at the Debus Conference Facility, astronaut Pamela Melroy speaks to attendees. Melroy has served as pilot on two Shuttle flights (STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002), and has logged more than 562 hours in space. The commission, through coordinating, researching, communicating, and encouraging legislation, is dedicated to empowering women from all walks of life in achieving their fullest potential, to eliminating barriers to that achievement, and to recognizing women’s accomplishments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-06-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - At the Florida Commission on the Status of Women held June 7 at the Debus Conference Facility, astronaut Pamela Melroy speaks to attendees. Melroy has served as pilot on two Shuttle flights (STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002), and has logged more than 562 hours in space. The commission, through coordinating, researching, communicating, and encouraging legislation, is dedicated to empowering women from all walks of life in achieving their fullest potential, to eliminating barriers to that achievement, and to recognizing women’s accomplishments.

Marriage, widowhood, divorce and HIV risks among women in sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Tenkorang, Eric Y

2014-03-01

Studies on associations between marriage and HIV infection among women in sub-Saharan Africa are generally inconclusive. Not enough is known about HIV risks among divorced and widowed women. This study examined the relationship between marital status and HIV infection among women in seven sub-Saharan African countries. Retrospective data from the Demographic and Health Surveys were combined with HIV biomarker data from the AIDS Indicator Survey (AIS) for analysis. Random-effects complementary log-log models were applied to examine the relationship between marital status and HIV risks controlling for theoretically relevant covariates. Compared to never-married women, widowed women were significantly more likely to be HIV positive. Similarly, married women were more likely to be infected with HIV, compared to never-married women in Lesotho and Zimbabwe. In Tanzania and Zimbabwe, divorced women had higher risks of HIV infection, compared to never-married women. Findings suggest that specific HIV programs be directed at vulnerable women, in particular those widowed. Similar programs are needed for both poorer and wealthier women.

Limited role of culture conversion for decision-making in individual patient care and for advancing novel regimens to confirmatory clinical trials.

PubMed

Phillips, Patrick P J; Mendel, Carl M; Burger, Divan A; Crook, Angela M; Crook, Angela; Nunn, Andrew J; Dawson, Rodney; Diacon, Andreas H; Gillespie, Stephen H

2016-02-04

Despite recent increased clinical trials activity, no regimen has proved able to replace the standard 6-month regimen for drug-sensitive tuberculosis. Understanding the relationship between microbiological markers measured during treatment and long-term clinical outcomes is critical to evaluate their usefulness for decision-making for both individual patient care and for advancing novel regimens into time-consuming and expensive pivotal phase III trials. Using data from the randomized controlled phase III trial REMoxTB, we evaluated sputum-based markers of speed of clearance of bacilli: time to smear negative status; time to culture negative status on LJ or in MGIT; daily rate of change of log10(TTP) to day 56; and smear or culture results at weeks 6, 8 or 12; as individual- and trial-level surrogate endpoints for long-term clinical outcome. Time to culture negative status on LJ or in MGIT, time to smear negative status and daily rate of change in log10(TTP) were each independent predictors of clinical outcome, adjusted for treatment (p <0.001). However, discrimination between low and high risk patients, as measured by the c-statistic, was modest and not much higher than the reference model adjusted for BMI, history of smoking, HIV status, cavitation, gender and MGIT TTP. Culture conversion during treatment for tuberculosis, however measured, has only a limited role in decision-making for advancing regimens into phase III trials or in predicting the outcome of treatment for individual patients. REMoxTB ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT00864383.

Idaho National Laboratory PCB Annual Document Log and Annual Records Report for calendar year 2014

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

Layton, Deborah L.

The requirements for the reporting of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB)-related activities are found in 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 761 Subpart J, "General Records and Reports." The PCB Annual Document Log is a detailed record of the PCB waste handling activities at the facility. The facility must prepare it each year by July 1 and maintain it at the facility for at least 3 years after the facility ceases using or storing PCBs and PCB items. While submittal of the PCB Annual Document Log to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is not required by regulation, EPA has verbally requestedmore » in telephone conversations that this report be submitted to them on an annual basis. The Annual Records are not required to be submitted to EPA and are not considered to be part of the Annual Document Log, but are included to provide the complete disposition history or status of all PCB activities during the year. The Annual Document Log section of this report (Section 2.0) meets the requirements of 40 CFR 761.180(a)(2), as applicable, while the Annual Records section (Section 3.0) meets the requirement of 40 CFR 761.180(a)(1).« less

75 FR 32754 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-09

... are required to show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject to search. Visitors will...; ultra hydroxyethyl ester, violet curable metal reaction products coatings with dicyclopentadiene, 5...

The black hole information paradox and highly squeezed interior quantum fluctuations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oshita, Naritaka

2017-10-01

Almheiri, Marolf, Polchinski, and Sully argued that, for a consistent black hole evaporation process, the horizon of a sufficiently old black hole should be replaced by a ‘firewall’ at which an infalling observer burns up, which obviously leads to the violation of the equivalence principle. We propose that once the infalling partner of an outgoing Hawking particle approaches a black hole singularity, it experiences decoherence and the loss of its entanglement with the outgoing Hawking particle. This implies we would no longer need firewalls to avoid the black hole information paradox.

Evaluation of Tools for Protection of Interest against Hacking and Cracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jahankhani, Hossein; Antonijevic, Branko; Walcott, Terry

The internet considered a tool that effectively ensures communication globally has been hindered by hackers and crackers continuously. In so doing, a multitude of network facilitated tools such as firewalls, virtual private networks (VPN) and a variety of antivirus software packages has been enabled for dealing with such predicaments. However, more often than not these facilitated tools are marketed as perfect solutions to the ever culminating problems such as loss of data and privacy in networked and world wide intercommunications. We provide a forum for addressing these perceived problems in this paper.

Design and Implementation of a Secure Modbus Protocol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fovino, Igor Nai; Carcano, Andrea; Masera, Marcelo; Trombetta, Alberto

The interconnectivity of modern and legacy supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems with corporate networks and the Internet has significantly increased the threats to critical infrastructure assets. Meanwhile, traditional IT security solutions such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems and antivirus software are relatively ineffective against attacks that specifically target vulnerabilities in SCADA protocols. This paper describes a secure version of the Modbus SCADA protocol that incorporates integrity, authentication, non-repudiation and anti-replay mechanisms. Experimental results using a power plant testbed indicate that the augmented protocol provides good security functionality without significant overhead.

Vitamin D status is associated with adiposity in male ice hockey players.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, John S; Peterson, Ben J; Wilson, Patrick B; Rhodes, Greg S; Ingraham, Stacy J

2015-03-01

The prevalence of insufficient vitamin D status is of concern and may negatively affect health and physical performance. The purpose of this study was twofold, as follows: to assess the prevalence of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) insufficiency among young hockey players and evaluate the association between 25(OH)D concentration and fat mass (FM) after adjusting for covariates. Data were collected for 53 junior and collegiate ice hockey players residing near Minneapolis, MN (44.9° N) during the off-season (May 16 to June 28). Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry was used to assess 25(OH)D concentration, and hydrostatic weighing was used to determine FM. Dietary intake and endogenous synthesis of vitamin D were evaluated via a questionnaire. Twenty (37.7%) athletes possessed insufficient 25(OH)D concentrations (<32 ng·mL(-1)). Log-transformed 25(OH)D concentration was inversely associated with FM in the athletes (r = -0.52, n = 51, P = 0.001). After controlling for measured covariates using sequential linear regression, the adjusted R2 change value indicated that 8.1% of the variability in (log of) 25(OH)D concentration was predicted by FM (P = 0.005). The findings of this study demonstrate an inverse association between FM and vitamin D status after adjusting for environmental, dietary, and anthropometric predictors in a sample population of athletes. Athletes with higher levels of adiposity may be at increased risk of poor vitamin D status.

76 FR 58498 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

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2011-09-21

... are required to show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject to search. Visitors will.../2011 10/9/2011 GE Water & Process (S) Heavy metal (G) Sodium polyethylenimine Technologies. precipitant...

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Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-03-22

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Circulating leptin concentrations do not distinguish menstrual status in exercising women.

PubMed

Corr, M; De Souza, M J; Toombs, R J; Williams, N I

2011-03-01

Low concentrations of leptin secondary to low body fat or other modulators are thought to be a key signal whereby an energy deficit suppresses the reproductive axis in exercising women resulting in functional hypothalamic amenorrhea (FHA). The purpose of this study was to first examine leptin concentrations in exercising women with and without FHA to address whether there is a threshold concentration of leptin below which reproductive function is suppressed. Secondly, we examined the role of adiposity and other possible modulators of leptin to ascertain whether leptin regulation differs depending on reproductive status. This study assessed 50 exercising, premenopausal women (aged 18-30 years) over the course of one menstrual cycle (eumenorrheic women) or one 28-day monitoring period (amenorrheic women). Quantification of daily urinary ovarian steroids and menstrual history were used to determine menstrual status. Body composition was assessed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and leptin was determined by enzyme-linked immunoassay. Key modulators of leptin such as serum insulin concentration, carbohydrate intake, glucose availability, indirect indices of sympathetic nervous activity and other factors were assessed using linear regression. Percentage body fat (%BF) (21.0 ± 1.0 versus 26.8 ± 0.7%; P < 0.001) and leptin concentration (4.8 ± 0.8 versus 9.6 ± 0.9 ng/ml; P < 0.001) were lower in the exercising women with amenorrhea (ExAmen; n = 24) compared with the exercising ovulatory women (ExOvul; n = 26). However, the ranges in leptin were similar for each group (ExAmen: 0.30-16.98 ng/ml; ExOvul: 2.57-18.28 ng/ml), and after adjusting for adiposity the difference in leptin concentration was no longer significant. Significant predictors of log leptin in ExAmen included %BF (β = 0.826, P < 0.001), log insulin (β = 0.308, P = 0.012) and log glycerol (β = 0.258, P = 0.030), but in ExOvul only %BF predicted leptin. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that leptin concentrations per se are not associated with FHA in exercising women, but the modulation of leptin concentrations may differ depending on reproductive status.

Using Publish-Subscribe Messaging for System Status and Automation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Danford S.

2015-01-01

The NASA Goddard Mission Services Evolution Center (GMSEC) system is a message-based plug-and-play open system architecture used in many of NASA mission operations centers. This presentation will focus on the use of GMSEC standard messages to report and analyze the status of a system and enable the automation of the system's components. In GMSEC systems, each component reports its status using a keep-alive message and also publishes status and activities as log messages. In addition, the components can accept functional directive messages from the GMSEC message bus. Over the past several years, development teams have found ways to utilize these messages to create innovative display pages and increasingly sophisticated approaches to automation. This presentation will show the flexibility and value of the message-based approach to system awareness and automation.

Obesity History and Daily Patterns of Physical Activity at Age 60-64 Years: Findings From the MRC National Survey of Health and Development.

PubMed

Cooper, Rachel; Huang, Lei; Hardy, Rebecca; Crainiceanu, Adina; Harris, Tamara; Schrack, Jennifer A; Crainiceanu, Ciprian; Kuh, Diana

2017-10-01

The aim of this study was to investigate associations of current body mass index (BMI) and obesity history with daily patterns of physical activity. At age 60-64, participants from a British birth cohort study wore accelerometers for 5 days. Accelerometry counts were log-transformed and mean log-counts were used to derive a summary variable indicating total daily log-activity counts. Among those with complete data (n = 1,388) the associations of current BMI and age of first obesity were examined with: (a) total daily log-activity counts and (b) total log-activity counts in four segments of the day. Higher current BMI and younger age at obesity were strongly associated with lower levels of total daily activity at age 60-64 even after adjustment for sex, socioeconomic factors, and health status. The fully-adjusted mean difference in total daily log-activity counts was -581.7 (95% confidence interval: -757.2, -406.3) when comparing BMI ≥35 kg/m2 with <25 kg/m2, representing an 18.4% difference. Participants who had been obese since early adulthood had the lowest levels of activity (mean difference in total daily log-activity counts was -413.1 (-638.1, -188.2) when comparing those who were obese by age 26 or 36 with those who were never obese, representing a 13.1% difference). Obese older adults may require targeted interventions and additional support to improve their daily activity levels. As younger generations with greater lifetime exposure to obesity reach old age the proportion of adults achieving sufficient levels of activity to realize its associated health benefits is likely to decline. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America.

Obesity History and Daily Patterns of Physical Activity at Age 60–64 Years: Findings From the MRC National Survey of Health and Development

PubMed Central

Cooper, Rachel; Huang, Lei; Hardy, Rebecca; Crainiceanu, Adina; Harris, Tamara; Schrack, Jennifer A; Crainiceanu, Ciprian; Kuh, Diana

2017-01-01

Abstract Background The aim of this study was to investigate associations of current body mass index (BMI) and obesity history with daily patterns of physical activity. Methods At age 60–64, participants from a British birth cohort study wore accelerometers for 5 days. Accelerometry counts were log-transformed and mean log-counts were used to derive a summary variable indicating total daily log-activity counts. Among those with complete data (n = 1,388) the associations of current BMI and age of first obesity were examined with: (a) total daily log-activity counts and (b) total log-activity counts in four segments of the day. Results Higher current BMI and younger age at obesity were strongly associated with lower levels of total daily activity at age 60–64 even after adjustment for sex, socioeconomic factors, and health status. The fully-adjusted mean difference in total daily log-activity counts was −581.7 (95% confidence interval: −757.2, −406.3) when comparing BMI ≥35 kg/m2 with <25 kg/m2, representing an 18.4% difference. Participants who had been obese since early adulthood had the lowest levels of activity (mean difference in total daily log-activity counts was −413.1 (−638.1, −188.2) when comparing those who were obese by age 26 or 36 with those who were never obese, representing a 13.1% difference). Conclusions Obese older adults may require targeted interventions and additional support to improve their daily activity levels. As younger generations with greater lifetime exposure to obesity reach old age the proportion of adults achieving sufficient levels of activity to realize its associated health benefits is likely to decline. PMID:28329086

Medical education and communication companies involved in CME: an updated profile.

PubMed

Peterson, Eric D; Overstreet, Karen M; Parochka, Jacqueline N; Lemon, Michael R

2008-01-01

Medical Education and Communication Companies (MECCs) represent approximately 21% of the providers accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), yet relatively little is known about these organizations in the greater continuing medical education (CME) community. Two prior studies described them, but powerful changes in the regulatory environment have impacted the structure and organization of these companies. The investigators administered a 32-item questionnaire to a select sample of 157 MECCs involved in CME, achieving a response rate of 50.3%. Of the responding organizations, 87% were accredited by the ACCME, with 27% also holding accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education and the American Nurses Credentialing Center Commission on Accreditation. Eighty-six percent reported no immediate involvement of the company in promotional activities. Fifty-three percent of the survey responders reported being part of a larger organization that included companies involved in promotion, and 88% of these organizations reported implementation of firewalls designed to protect the independence of certified education. The survey reveals a sector that is largely privately held and moving from an organizational model that included both certified and promotional activities to one that includes only certified education. These changes, along with the implementation of firewalls to protect certified education from the promotional interests of other companies within their own corporate structure, may help to alleviate concerns about the independence of CME produced by MECCs. However, because MECCs continue to receive the majority of their support from commercial interests, the influence of funding is likely to be an area of lingering concern.

Prediction of gas/particle partitioning of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in global air: a theoretical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.-F.; Ma, W.-L.; Yang, M.

2014-09-01

Gas/particle (G / P) partitioning for most semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) is an important process that primarily governs their atmospheric fate, long-range atmospheric transport potential, and their routs to enter human body. All previous studies on this issue have been hypothetically derived from equilibrium conditions, the results of which do not predict results from monitoring studies well in most cases. In this study, a steady-state model instead of an equilibrium-state model for the investigation of the G / P partitioning behavior for polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) was established, and an equation for calculating the partition coefficients under steady state (KPS) for PBDE congeners (log KPS = log KPE + logα) was developed, in which an equilibrium term (log KPE = log KOA + logfOM -11.91, where fOM is organic matter content of the particles) and a nonequilibrium term (logα, mainly caused by dry and wet depositions of particles), both being functions of log KOA (octanol-air partition coefficient), are included, and the equilibrium is a special case of steady state when the nonequilibrium term equals to zero. A criterion to classify the equilibrium and nonequilibrium status for PBDEs was also established using two threshold values of log KOA, log KOA1 and log KOA2, which divide the range of log KOA into 3 domains: equilibrium, nonequilibrium, and maximum partition domains; and accordingly, two threshold values of temperature t, tTH1 when log KOA = log KOA1 and tTH2 when log KOA = log KOA2, were identified, which divide the range of temperature also into the same 3 domains for each BDE congener. We predicted the existence of the maximum partition domain (the values of log KPS reach a maximum constant of -1.53) that every PBDE congener can reach when log KOA ≥ log KOA2, or t ≤ tTH2. The novel equation developed in this study was applied to predict the G / P partition coefficients of PBDEs for the published monitoring data worldwide, including Asia, Europe, North America, and the Arctic, and the results matched well with all the monitoring data, except those obtained at e-waste sites due to the unpredictable PBDE emissions at these sites. This study provided evidence that, the new developed steady-state-based equation is superior to the equilibrium-state-based equation that has been used in describing the G / P partitioning behavior in decades. We suggest that, the investigation on G / P partitioning behavior for PBDEs should be based on steady state, not equilibrium state, and equilibrium is just a special case of steady state when nonequilibrium factors can be ignored. We also believe that our new equation provides a useful tool for environmental scientists in both monitoring and modeling research on G / P partitioning for PBDEs and can be extended to predict G / P partitioning behavior for other SVOCs as well.

Sex Differences in the Association of Urinary Bisphenol-A Concentration with Selected Indices of Glucose Homeostasis among U.S. adults

PubMed Central

Beydoun, Hind A.; Khanal, Suraj; Zonderman, Alan B.; Beydoun, May A.

2013-01-01

Purpose Emerging evidence suggests that exposure to endocrine disruptors may initiate or exacerbate adiposity and associated health problems. This study examined sex differences in the association of urinary level of bisphenol-A (BPA) with selected indices of glucose homeostasis among U.S. adults. Methods Data analyses were performed using a sample of 1,586 participants from the 2005–2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. BPA level and the ratio of BPA-to-creatinine level were defined as log-transformed variables and in quartiles. Selected indices of glucose homeostasis were defined using fasting glucose and insulin data. Multivariate linear and logistic regression models for the hypothesized relationships were constructed after controlling for age, sex, race, education, marital status, smoking status, physical activity, total dietary intake and urinary creatinine concentration. Results Taking 1st quartile as a referent, 3rd quartile of BPA level was positively associated with log-transformed level of insulin and β-cell function (HOMA-β) as well as insulin resistance (log-transformed HOMA-IR; HOMA-IR≥2.5), with significant BPA-by-sex interaction; these associations were stronger among males than among females. Irrespective of sex, the ratio of BPA-to-creatinine level was not predictive of indices of glucose homeostasis. Conclusions A complex association may exist between BPA and hyperinsulinemia among adult U.S. men. Prospective cohort studies are needed to further elucidate endocrine disruptors as determinants of adiposity-related disturbances. PMID:23954568

The role of obesity in the relation between total water intake and urine osmolality in US adults, 2009-2012.

PubMed

Rosinger, Asher Y; Lawman, Hannah G; Akinbami, Lara J; Ogden, Cynthia L

2016-12-01

Adequate water intake is critical to physiologic and cognitive functioning. Although water requirements increase with body size, it remains unclear whether weight status modifies the relation between water intake and hydration status. We examined how the association between water intake and urine osmolality, which is a hydration biomarker, varied by weight status. NHANES cross-sectional data (2009-2012) were analyzed in 9601 nonpregnant adults aged ≥20 y who did not have kidney failure. Weight status was categorized with the use of body mass index on the basis of measured height and weight (underweight or normal weight, overweight, and obesity). Urine osmolality was determined with the use of freezing-point depression osmometry. Hypohydration was classified according to the following age-dependent formula: ≥831 mOsm/kg - [3.4 × (age - 20 y)]. Total water intake was determined with the use of a 24-h dietary recall and was dichotomized as adequate or low on the basis of the Institute of Medicine's adequate intake recommendations for men and women (men: ≥3.7 or <3.7 L; nonlactating women: ≥2.7 or <2.7 L; lactating women: ≥3.8 or <3.8 L for adequate or low intakes, respectively). We tested interactions and conducted linear and log-binomial regressions. Total water intake (P = 0.002), urine osmolality (P < 0.001), and hypohydration prevalence (P < 0.001) all increased with higher weight status. Interactions between weight status and water intake status were significant in linear (P = 0.005) and log-binomial (P = 0.015) models, which were then stratified. The prevalence ratio of hypohydration between subjects with adequate water intake and those with low water intake was 0.56 (95% CI: 0.43, 0.73) in adults who were underweight or normal weight, 0.67 (95% CI: 0.57, 0.79) in adults who were overweight, and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.70, 0.88) in adults who were obese. On a population level, obesity modifies the association between water intake and hydration status. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

75 FR 32760 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-09

... (202) 566-0280. Docket visitors are required to show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject...) Aromatic catalyst synthesis bisphosphite P-10-0364 04/30/10 07/28/10 CBI (G) Soluble metal (G) Bisphospite...

77 FR 52325 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-29

... show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject to search. Visitors will be provided an... dust, Mfg., Inc. component to automotive achieve desired metal recovery. zinc content. P-12-0483 08/01...

78 FR 11871 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-02-20

... are required to show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject to search. Visitors will... polyol polyester P-13-0152 12/7/2012 3/6/2013 CBI (G) Contained use (G) Metal, substituted...

75 FR 32751 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-09

... (202) 566-0280. Docket visitors are required to show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject... prepolymer for heat prepolymer curing metal assembly P-10-0245 02/19/10 05/19/10 Alberdingk Boley, (S...

75 FR 57770 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-22

... identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject to search. Visitors will be provided an EPA/DC badge that must be...- different substrates oil fatty acid, like plastics, alkyl diacid and metals, wood, alkyldiamines packaging...

77 FR 40033 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-07-06

... show photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject to search. Visitors will be provided an...-(isocyanatomethyl)- alkylcyclohexane. P-10-0378 05/03/2012 04/30/2012 (G) Metal oxide modified with alkyl and vinyl...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Pamela Melroy (fourth from right in front) joins other attendees at the Florida Commission on the Status of Women held June 7 at the Debus Conference Facility. Melroy was a speaker. Her accomplishments include serving as pilot on two Shuttle flights (STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002), and logging more than 562 hours in space. The commission, through coordinating, researching, communicating, and encouraging legislation, is dedicated to empowering women from all walks of life in achieving their fullest potential, to eliminating barriers to that achievement, and to recognizing women’s accomplishments.

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-06-07

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Astronaut Pamela Melroy (fourth from right in front) joins other attendees at the Florida Commission on the Status of Women held June 7 at the Debus Conference Facility. Melroy was a speaker. Her accomplishments include serving as pilot on two Shuttle flights (STS-92 in 2000 and STS-112 in 2002), and logging more than 562 hours in space. The commission, through coordinating, researching, communicating, and encouraging legislation, is dedicated to empowering women from all walks of life in achieving their fullest potential, to eliminating barriers to that achievement, and to recognizing women’s accomplishments.

Secure vendor environment (SVE) for PACS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honeyman-Buck, Janice; Frost, Meryll

2005-04-01

A Secure Vendor Environment (SVE) was created to protect radiology modalities from network intrusion, worms, viruses, and other forms of damaging attacks. Many vendors do not attempt any form of network security and if an institution demands a non-standard and secure installation, a future system upgrade could and frequently does eliminate any security measures installed during the initial installation. The SVE isolates the vendor equipment behind a virtual firewall on a private network that is invisible to the outside world. All interactions must go though a device containing two network interface cards called an Application Processor that acts as a store-and forward router, performs DICOM repair, proxies modality worklist, and isolates the vendor modalities. A small VPN appliance can open the device temporarily for remote access by vendor engineers. Prior to the routine installation of the SVE, vendor equipment was often attacked by hostile network intruders and viruses or worms, sometimes rendering the equipment unusable until the vendor could reload the system. The resulted in considerable clinical downtime and loss of revenue. Since the relatively low cost SVE solution has routinely been installed with all new equipment, no intrusions have occurred, although our network sniffers and intrusion detectors indicate that we are constantly being scanned for vulnerability. Purpose: To provide a secure network for vendor equipment in a PACS environment while allowing vendor access for upgrades and system repairs. Method: The network administrators at our university believe that network security should be implemented at the machine level rather than relying on a firewall. A firewall solution could conceivably block unwanted intrusion from outside the university network, but would still allow literally thousands of potential network users to get through to the PACS network. All the PACS archive, display and routing systems are individually protected from intrusion, but vendors of image producing modalities such as CT, MRI, and CR typically do not protect their equipment from network intrusion. Most vendors use the same user-ids and passwords for their service and administrative accounts which makes it easy for them to get to their systems for remote repairs and upgrades, but also makes it easy for hackers and other unwelcome intruders to gain access. We use a device with two network interface cards to isolate the vendor network from the main PACS / university / hospital network. This device is a store and forward PACS routing device, a DICOM repair device, a modality worklist proxy device, and a de-facto firewall. This device is named an Application Processor (AP). In addition, a small virtual private network (VPN) device is placed on the system that can be controlled only by the PACS administration. If a vendor engineer needs remote access to upgrade or service the equipment, a temporary connection is enabled for only the computer the engineer is using at the time, then is closed when he/she has completed their work. Results: The secure vendor environment (SVE) consists of a computer and a VPN appliance and costs approximately 2,000 USD to build. With software, the total system costs approximately 2800 - $3500. The SVE is typically deployed as part of every equipment installation. Since the SVE has been used, we have had no intrusion and no downtime due to hackers, viruses, worms, etc. This is now a part of every project plan for equipment that will become part of the PACS. New work: The SVE is a unique and new work by our group, developed as a solution totally within our group. Conclusions: Our results have convinced our administration that this small cost to protect vendor equipment is well worth the investment. Prior to developing this solution, there were numerous occasions where intruders invaded our equipment and rendered it unusable until the software could be reloaded, sometimes resulting in the loss of a day or more of clinical use.

Patterns of Success: Online Self-Monitoring in a Web-Based Behavioral Weight Control Program

PubMed Central

Krukowski, Rebecca A.; Harvey-Berino, Jean; Bursac, Zoran; Ashikaga, Taka; West, Delia Smith

2016-01-01

Objectives Online weight control technologies could reduce barriers to treatment, including increased ease and convenience of self-monitoring. Self-monitoring consistently predicts outcomes in behavioral weight loss programs; however, little is known about patterns of self-monitoring associated with success. Methods The current study examines 161 participants (93% female; 31% African-American; mean BMI=35.7±5.7) randomized to a 6-month online behavioral weight control program which offered weekly group “chat” sessions and online self-monitoring. Self-monitoring log-ins were continuously monitored electronically during treatment and examined in association with weight change and demographics. Weekend and weekday log-ins were examined separately and length of periods of continuous self-monitoring were examined. Results We found that 91% of participants logged in to the self-monitoring webpage at least once. Over 6 months, these participants monitored on an average of 28% of weekdays and 17% of weekend days, with most log-ins earlier in the program. Women were less likely to log-in, and there were trends for greater self-monitoring by older participants. Race, education and marital status were not significant predictors of self-monitoring. Both weekday and weekend log-ins were significant independent predictors of weight loss. Patterns of consistent self-monitoring emerged early for participants who went on to achieve greater than a five percent weight loss. Conclusions Patterns of online self-monitoring were strongly associated with weight loss outcomes. These results suggest a specific focus on consistent self-monitoring early in a behavioral weight control program might be beneficial for achieving clinically significant weight losses. PMID:22545978

Epidemiology of Pediatric Convulsive Status Epilepticus With Fever in the Emergency Department: A Cohort Study of 381 Consecutive Cases.

PubMed

Hayakawa, Itaru; Miyama, Sahoko; Inoue, Nobuaki; Sakakibara, Hiroshi; Hataya, Hiroshi; Terakawa, Toshiro

2016-09-01

Pediatric convulsive status epilepticus with fever is common in the emergency setting but leads to severe neurological sequelae in some patients. To explore the epidemiology of convulsive status epilepticus with fever, a retrospective cohort covering all convulsive status epilepticus cases with fever seen in the emergency department of a tertiary care children's hospital were consecutively collected. Of the 381 consecutive cases gathered, 81.6% were due to prolonged febrile seizure, 6.6% to encephalopathy/encephalitis, 0.8% to meningitis, and 7.6% to epilepsy. In addition, seizures were significantly longer in encephalopathy/encephalitis cases than in prolonged febrile seizure cases (log rank test, P < .001). These results provide for the first time the pretest probability of final diagnoses in children with convulsive status epilepticus with fever in the emergency setting, and will help optimize the management of pediatric patients presenting to the emergency department with convulsive status epilepticus with fever. © The Author(s) 2016.

Folate and Cobalamin Modify Associations between S-adenosylmethionine and Methylated Arsenic Metabolites in Arsenic-Exposed Bangladeshi Adults123

PubMed Central

Howe, Caitlin G.; Niedzwiecki, Megan M.; Hall, Megan N.; Liu, Xinhua; Ilievski, Vesna; Slavkovich, Vesna; Alam, Shafiul; Siddique, Abu B.; Graziano, Joseph H.; Gamble, Mary V.

2014-01-01

Chronic exposure to inorganic arsenic (InAs) through drinking water is a major problem worldwide. InAs undergoes hepatic methylation to form mono- and dimethyl arsenical species (MMA and DMA, respectively), facilitating arsenic elimination. Both reactions are catalyzed by arsenic (+3 oxidation state) methyltransferase (AS3MT) using S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) as the methyl donor, yielding the methylated product and S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), a potent product-inhibitor of AS3MT. SAM biosynthesis depends on folate- and cobalamin-dependent one-carbon metabolism. With the use of samples from 353 participants in the Folate and Oxidative Stress Study, our objective was to test the hypotheses that blood SAM and SAH concentrations are associated with arsenic methylation and that these associations differ by folate and cobalamin nutritional status. Blood SAM and SAH were measured by HPLC. Arsenic metabolites in blood and urine were measured by HPLC coupled to dynamic reaction cell inductively coupled plasma MS. In linear regression analyses, SAH was not associated with any of the arsenic metabolites. However, log(SAM) was negatively associated with log(% urinary InAs) (β: −0.11; 95% CI: −0.19, −0.02; P = 0.01), and folate and cobalamin nutritional status significantly modified associations between SAM and percentage of blood MMA (%bMMA) and percentage of blood DMA (%bDMA) (P = 0.02 and P = 0.01, respectively). In folate- and cobalamin-deficient individuals, log(SAM) was positively associated with %bMMA (β: 6.96; 95% CI: 1.86, 12.05; P < 0.01) and negatively associated with %bDMA (β: −6.19; 95% CI: −12.71, 0.32; P = 0.06). These findings suggest that when exposure to InAs is high, and methyl groups are limiting, SAM is used primarily for MMA synthesis rather than for DMA synthesis, contributing additional evidence that nutritional status may explain some of the interindividual differences in arsenic metabolism and, consequently, susceptibility to arsenic toxicity. PMID:24598884

Associations of Educational Attainment, Occupation, Social Class and Major Depressive Disorder among Han Chinese Women

PubMed Central

Liu, Feihu; Li, Yajuan; Wang, Junhui; Flint, Jonathan; Gao, Jingfang; Li, Youhui; Tao, Ming; Zhang, Kerang; Wang, Xumei; Gao, Chengge; Yang, Lijun; Li, Kan; Shi, Shenxun; Wang, Gang; Liu, Lanfen; Zhang, Jinbei; Du, Bo; Jiang, Guoqing; Shen, Jianhua; Zhang, Zhen; Liang, Wei; Sun, Jing; Hu, Jian; Liu, Tiebang; Wang, Xueyi; Miao, Guodong; Meng, Huaqing; Li, Yi; Hu, Chunmei; Li, Yi; Huang, Guoping; Li, Gongying; Ha, Baowei; Deng, Hong; Mei, Qiyi; Zhong, Hui; Gao, Shugui; Sang, Hong; Zhang, Yutang; Fang, Xiang; Yu, Fengyu; Yang, Donglin; Liu, Tieqiao; Chen, Yunchun; Hong, Xiaohong; Wu, Wenyuan; Chen, Guibing; Cai, Min; Song, Yan; Pan, Jiyang; Dong, Jicheng; Pan, Runde; Zhang, Wei; Shen, Zhenming; Liu, Zhengrong; Gu, Danhua; Wang, Xiaoping; Liu, Xiaojuan; Zhang, Qiwen; Li, Yihan; Chen, Yiping; Kendler, Kenneth S.

2014-01-01

Background The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is higher in those with low levels of educational attainment, the unemployed and those with low social status. However the extent to which these factors cause MDD is unclear. Most of the available data comes from studies in developed countries, and these findings may not extrapolate to developing countries. Examining the relationship between MDD and socio economic status in China is likely to add to the debate because of the radical economic and social changes occurring in China over the last 30 years. Principal findings We report results from 3,639 Chinese women with recurrent MDD and 3,800 controls. Highly significant odds ratios (ORs) were observed between MDD and full time employment (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.25–0.46, logP = 78), social status (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.77–0.87, logP = 13.3) and education attainment (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.86–0.90, logP = 6.8). We found a monotonic relationship between increasing age and increasing levels of educational attainment. Those with only primary school education have significantly more episodes of MDD (mean 6.5, P-value = 0.009) and have a clinically more severe disorder, while those with higher educational attainment are likely to manifest more comorbid anxiety disorders. Conclusions In China lower socioeconomic position is associated with increased rates of MDD, as it is elsewhere in the world. Significantly more episodes of MDD occur among those with lower educational attainment (rather than longer episodes of disease), consistent with the hypothesis that the lower socioeconomic position increases the likelihood of developing MDD. The phenomenology of MDD varies according to the degree of educational attainment: higher educational attainment not only appears to protect against MDD but alters its presentation, to a more anxious phenotype. PMID:24497966

Evaluation of iron status in European adolescents through biochemical iron indicators: the HELENA Study

PubMed Central

Ferrari, M; Mistura, L; Patterson, E; Sjöström, M; Díaz, L E; Stehle, P; Gonzalez-Gross, M; Kersting, M; Widhalm, K; Molnár, D; Gottrand, F; De Henauw, S; Manios, Y; Kafatos, A; Moreno, L A; Leclercq, C

2011-01-01

Background/Objectives: To assess the iron status among European adolescents through selected biochemical parameters in a cross-sectional study performed in 10 European cities. Subjects/Methods: Iron status was defined utilising biochemical indicators. Iron depletion was defined as low serum ferritin (SF<15 μg/l). Iron deficiency (ID) was defined as high-soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR>8.5 mg/l) plus iron depletion. Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) was defined as ID with haemoglobin (Hb) below the WHO cutoff for age and sex: 12.0 g/dl for girls and for boys aged 12.5–14.99 years and 13.0 g/dl for boys aged ⩾15 years. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay was used as analytical method for SF, sTfR and C-reactive protein (CRP). Subjects with indication of inflammation (CRP >5 mg/l) were excluded from the analyses. A total of 940 adolescents aged 12.5–17.49 years (438 boys and 502 girls) were involved. Results: The percentage of iron depletion was 17.6%, significantly higher in girls (21.0%) compared with boys (13.8%). The overall percentage of ID and IDA was 4.7 and 1.3%, respectively, with no significant differences between boys and girls. A correlation was observed between log (SF) and Hb (r=0.36, P<0.01), and between log (sTfR) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (r=−0.30, P<0.01). Iron body stores were estimated on the basis of log (sTfR/SF). A higher percentage of negative values of body iron was recorded in girls (16.5%) with respect to boys (8.3%), and body iron values tended to increase with age in boys, whereas the values remained stable in girls. Conclusions: To ensure adequate iron stores, specific attention should be given to girls at European level to ensure that their dietary intake of iron is adequate. PMID:21245877

Associations of educational attainment, occupation, social class and major depressive disorder among Han Chinese women.

PubMed

Shi, Jianguo; Zhang, Yan; Liu, Feihu; Li, Yajuan; Wang, Junhui; Flint, Jonathan; Gao, Jingfang; Li, Youhui; Tao, Ming; Zhang, Kerang; Wang, Xumei; Gao, Chengge; Yang, Lijun; Li, Kan; Shi, Shenxun; Wang, Gang; Liu, Lanfen; Zhang, Jinbei; Du, Bo; Jiang, Guoqing; Shen, Jianhua; Zhang, Zhen; Liang, Wei; Sun, Jing; Hu, Jian; Liu, Tiebang; Wang, Xueyi; Miao, Guodong; Meng, Huaqing; Li, Yi; Hu, Chunmei; Li, Yi; Huang, Guoping; Li, Gongying; Ha, Baowei; Deng, Hong; Mei, Qiyi; Zhong, Hui; Gao, Shugui; Sang, Hong; Zhang, Yutang; Fang, Xiang; Yu, Fengyu; Yang, Donglin; Liu, Tieqiao; Chen, Yunchun; Hong, Xiaohong; Wu, Wenyuan; Chen, Guibing; Cai, Min; Song, Yan; Pan, Jiyang; Dong, Jicheng; Pan, Runde; Zhang, Wei; Shen, Zhenming; Liu, Zhengrong; Gu, Danhua; Wang, Xiaoping; Liu, Xiaojuan; Zhang, Qiwen; Li, Yihan; Chen, Yiping; Kendler, Kenneth S

2014-01-01

The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is higher in those with low levels of educational attainment, the unemployed and those with low social status. However the extent to which these factors cause MDD is unclear. Most of the available data comes from studies in developed countries, and these findings may not extrapolate to developing countries. Examining the relationship between MDD and socio economic status in China is likely to add to the debate because of the radical economic and social changes occurring in China over the last 30 years. We report results from 3,639 Chinese women with recurrent MDD and 3,800 controls. Highly significant odds ratios (ORs) were observed between MDD and full time employment (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.25-0.46, logP = 78), social status (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.77-0.87, logP = 13.3) and education attainment (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.86-0.90, logP = 6.8). We found a monotonic relationship between increasing age and increasing levels of educational attainment. Those with only primary school education have significantly more episodes of MDD (mean 6.5, P-value = 0.009) and have a clinically more severe disorder, while those with higher educational attainment are likely to manifest more comorbid anxiety disorders. In China lower socioeconomic position is associated with increased rates of MDD, as it is elsewhere in the world. Significantly more episodes of MDD occur among those with lower educational attainment (rather than longer episodes of disease), consistent with the hypothesis that the lower socioeconomic position increases the likelihood of developing MDD. The phenomenology of MDD varies according to the degree of educational attainment: higher educational attainment not only appears to protect against MDD but alters its presentation, to a more anxious phenotype.

Immigration and Status Exchange in Australia and the United States

PubMed Central

Choi, Kate H.; Tienda, Marta; Cobb-Clark, Deborah; Sinning, Mathias

2012-01-01

This paper evaluates the status exchange hypothesis for Australia and the United States, two Anglophone nations with long immigration traditions whose admission regimes place different emphases on skills. Using log-linear methods, we demonstrate that foreign-born spouses trade educational credentials via marriage with natives in both Australian and U.S. marriage markets and, moreover, that nativity is a more salient marriage barrier for men than for women. With some exceptions, immigrant spouses in mixed nativity couples are better educated than native spouses in same nativity couples, but status exchange is more prevalent among the less-educated spouses in both countries. Support for the status exchange hypothesis is somewhat weaker in Australia partly because of lower average levels of education compared with the United States and partly because of less sharply defined educational hierarchy at the postsecondary level. PMID:23226914

Prediction of gas/particle partitioning of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in global air: A theoretical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.-F.; Ma, W.-L.; Yang, M.

2015-02-01

Gas/particle (G/P) partitioning of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) is an important process that primarily governs their atmospheric fate, long-range atmospheric transport, and their routes of entering the human body. All previous studies on this issue are hypothetically based on equilibrium conditions, the results of which do not predict results from monitoring studies well in most cases. In this study, a steady-state model instead of an equilibrium-state model for the investigation of the G/P partitioning behavior of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) was established, and an equation for calculating the partition coefficients under steady state (KPS) of PBDEs (log KPS = log KPE + logα) was developed in which an equilibrium term (log KPE = log KOA + logfOM -11.91 where fOM is organic matter content of the particles) and a non-equilibrium term (log α, caused by dry and wet depositions of particles), both being functions of log KOA (octanol-air partition coefficient), are included. It was found that the equilibrium is a special case of steady state when the non-equilibrium term equals zero. A criterion to classify the equilibrium and non-equilibrium status of PBDEs was also established using two threshold values of log KOA, log KOA1, and log KOA2, which divide the range of log KOA into three domains: equilibrium, non-equilibrium, and maximum partition domain. Accordingly, two threshold values of temperature t, tTH1 when log KOA = log KOA1 and tTH2 when log KOA = log KOA2, were identified, which divide the range of temperature also into the same three domains for each PBDE congener. We predicted the existence of the maximum partition domain (the values of log KPS reach a maximum constant of -1.53) that every PBDE congener can reach when log KOA ≥ log KOA2, or t ≤ tTH2. The novel equation developed in this study was applied to predict the G/P partition coefficients of PBDEs for our Chinese persistent organic pollutants (POPs) Soil and Air Monitoring Program, Phase 2 (China-SAMP-II) program and other monitoring programs worldwide, including in Asia, Europe, North America, and the Arctic, and the results matched well with all the monitoring data, except those obtained at e-waste sites due to the unpredictable PBDE emissions at these sites. This study provided evidence that the newly developed steady-state-based equation is superior to the equilibrium-state-based equation that has been used in describing the G/P partitioning behavior over decades. We suggest that the investigation on G/P partitioning behavior for PBDEs should be based onsteady-state, not equilibrium state, and equilibrium is just a special case of steady-state when non-equilibrium factors can be ignored. We also believe that our new equation provides a useful tool for environmental scientists in both monitoring and modeling research on G/P partitioning of PBDEs and can be extended to predict G/P partitioning behavior for other SVOCs as well.

A Walk to the Well.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weir, Phil

1994-01-01

During a walk, an outdoor education teacher reflects on the status of outdoor education in Ottawa (Canada) and importance of maintaining a close relationship with nature. He looks for signs of an old log home site, observes a hawk's flight, discovers remains of a plastic bag in an owl pellet, and realizes that everyone is working on survival. (LP)

Experience may not be the best teacher: patient logs do not correlate with clerkship performance.

PubMed

Poisson, Sharon N; Gelb, Douglas J; Oh, Mary F S; Gruppen, Larry D

2009-02-24

With the recent emphasis on core competencies, medical schools and residency programs have attempted to monitor and regulate trainees' patient encounters. The educational validity of this practice is unknown. Our objective was to determine whether patient encounter logs correlate with educational outcomes. We reviewed patient logs of all 212 neurology clerkship students from the 2005-2006 academic year and determined the number of patients each student saw in five diagnostic categories (seizure, headache, stroke, acute mental status change, and dementia). We compared these numbers with the students' written examination scores (total and category-specific) and clinical evaluation scores using Pearson product-moment correlations. The more patients in a given diagnostic category that students saw, the lower the students' examination subscores in that disease category (r = -0.066, p = 0.03). The total number of patients each student saw did not correlate with the student's total examination score (r = -0.021, p = 0.77) or the student's overall clinical performance rating (r = 0.089, p = 0.23). Higher numbers of logged patients did not correlate with better clerkship performance, whether the outcome measures were written tests or faculty ratings, and whether the analysis involved total or disease-specific patient counts. Thus, patient census may not be a meaningful index of educational experience or outcome. Considerable time, money, and effort are required to maintain accurate logs of trainees' encounters with patients; based on the current study, this may be an inefficient use of resources.

Red meat, dietary nitrosamines, and heme iron and risk of bladder cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

PubMed

Jakszyn, Paula; González, Carlos A; Luján-Barroso, Leila; Ros, Martine M; Bueno-de-Mesquita, H Bas; Roswall, Nina; Tjønneland, Anne M; Büchner, Frederike L; Egevad, Lars; Overvad, Kim; Raaschou-Nielsen, Ole; Clavel-Chapelon, Françoise; Boutron-Ruault, Marie-Christine; Touillaud, Marina S; Chang-Claude, Jenny; Allen, Naomi E; Kiemeney, Lambertus A; Key, Timothy J; Kaaks, Rudolf; Boeing, Heiner; Weikert, Steffen; Trichopoulou, Antonia; Oikonomou, Eleni; Zylis, Dimosthenis; Palli, Domenico; Berrino, Franco; Vineis, Paolo; Tumino, Rosario; Mattiello, Amalia; Peeters, Petra H M; Parr, Christine L; Gram, Inger T; Skeie, Guri; Sánchez, Maria-Jose; Larrañaga, Nerea; Ardanaz, Eva; Navarro, Carmen; Rodríguez, Laudina; Ulmert, David; Ehrnström, Roy; Hallmans, Göran; Ljungberg, Borje; Roddam, Andrew Wilfred; Bingham, Sheila A; Khaw, Kay-Tee; Slimani, Nadia; Boffetta, Paolo A; Jenab, Mazda; Mouw, Traci; Michaud, Dominique S; Riboli, Elio

2011-03-01

Previous epidemiologic studies found inconsistent results for the association between red meat intake, nitrosamines [NDMA: N-nitrosodimethylamine, and ENOC (endogenous nitroso compounds)], and the risk of bladder cancer. We investigated the association between red meat consumption, dietary nitrosamines, and heme iron and the risk of bladder cancer among participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Data on food consumption and complete follow-up for cancer occurrence were available for a total of 481,419 participants, recruited in 10 European countries. Estimates of HRs were obtained by proportional hazard models, stratified by age at recruitment, gender, and study center and adjusted for total energy intake, smoking status, lifetime intensity of smoking, duration of smoking, educational level, and BMI. After a mean follow-up of 8.7 years, 1,001 participants were diagnosed with bladder cancer. We found no overall association between intake of red meat (log2 HR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.99-1.13), nitrosamines (log2 HR: 1.09; 95% CI: 0.92-1.30 and HR: 0.98; 95% CI: 0.92-1.05 for ENOC and NDMA, respectively) or heme iron (log2 HR: 1.05; 95 CI: 0.99-1.12) and bladder cancer risk. The associations did not vary by sex, high- versus low-risk bladder cancers, smoking status, or occupation (high vs. low risk). Our findings do not support an effect of red meat intake, nitrosamines (endogenous or exogenous), or heme iron intake on bladder cancer risk. ©2011 AACR.

Impact of preexisting tumor necrosis on the efficacy of stereotactic radiosurgery in the treatment of brain metastases in women with breast cancer.

PubMed

Xu, Zhiyuan; Marko, Nicholas F; Angelov, Lilyana; Barnett, Gene H; Chao, Samuel T; Vogelbaum, Michael A; Suh, John H; Weil, Robert J

2012-03-01

Breast cancer is the second most common source of brain metastasis. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) can be an effective treatment for some patients with brain metastasis (BM). Necrosis is a common feature of many brain tumors, including BM; however, the influence of tumor necrosis on treatment efficacy of SRS in women with breast cancer metastatic to the brain is unknown. A cohort of 147 women with breast cancer and BM treated consecutively with SRS over 10 years were studied. Of these, 80 (54.4%) had necrosis identified on pretreatment magnetic resonance images and 67 (46.4%) did not. Survival times were computed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Log-rank tests were used to compare groups with respect to survival times, Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to perform univariate and multivariate analyses, and chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to compare clinicopathologic covariates. Neurological survival (NS) and survival after SRS were decreased in BM patients with necrosis at the time of SRS compared with patients without necrosis by 32% and 27%, respectively (NS median survival, 25 vs 17 months [log-rank test, P = .006]; SRS median survival, 15 vs 11 months [log-rank test, P = .045]). On multivariate analysis, HER2 amplification status and necrosis influenced NS and SRS after adjusting for standard clinical features, including BM number, size, and volume as well as Karnofsky performance status. Neuroimaging evidence of necrosis at the time of SRS significantly diminished the efficacy of therapy and was a potent prognostic marker. Copyright © 2011 American Cancer Society.

Weighted log-linear models for service delivery points in Ethiopia: a case of modern contraceptive users at health facilities.

PubMed

Workie, Demeke Lakew; Zike, Dereje Tesfaye; Fenta, Haile Mekonnen; Mekonnen, Mulusew Admasu

2018-05-10

Ethiopia is among countries with low contraceptive usage prevalence rate and resulted in high total fertility rate and unwanted pregnancy which intern affects the maternal and child health status. This study aimed to investigate the major factors that affect the number of modern contraceptive users at service delivery point in Ethiopia. The Performance Monitoring and Accountability2020/Ethiopia data collected between March and April 2016 at round-4 from 461 eligible service delivery points were in this study. The weighted log-linear negative binomial model applied to analyze the service delivery point's data. Fifty percent of service delivery points in Ethiopia given service for 61 modern contraceptive users with the interquartile range of 0.62. The expected log number of modern contraceptive users at rural was 1.05 (95% Wald CI: - 1.42 to - 0.68) lower than the expected log number of modern contraceptive users at urban. In addition, the expected log count of modern contraceptive users at others facility type was 0.58 lower than the expected log count of modern contraceptive users at the health center. The numbers of nurses/midwives were affecting the number of modern contraceptive users. Since, the incidence rate of modern contraceptive users increased by one due to an additional nurse in the delivery point. Among different factors considered in this study, residence, region, facility type, the number of days per week family planning offered, the number of nurses/midwives and number of medical assistants were to be associated with the number of modern contraceptive users. Thus, the Government of Ethiopia would take immediate steps to address causes of the number of modern contraceptive users in Ethiopia.

Firewalls Prevent Systemic Dissemination of Vectors Derived from Human Adenovirus Type 5 and Suppress Production of Transgene-Encoded Antigen in a Murine Model of Oral Vaccination

PubMed Central

Revaud, Julien; Unterfinger, Yves; Rol, Nicolas; Suleman, Muhammad; Shaw, Julia; Galea, Sandra; Gavard, Françoise; Lacour, Sandrine A.; Coulpier, Muriel; Versillé, Nicolas; Havenga, Menzo; Klonjkowski, Bernard; Zanella, Gina; Biacchesi, Stéphane; Cordonnier, Nathalie; Corthésy, Blaise; Ben Arous, Juliette; Richardson, Jennifer P.

2018-01-01

To define the bottlenecks that restrict antigen expression after oral administration of viral-vectored vaccines, we tracked vectors derived from the human adenovirus type 5 at whole body, tissue, and cellular scales throughout the digestive tract in a murine model of oral delivery. After intragastric administration of vectors encoding firefly luciferase or a model antigen, detectable levels of transgene-encoded protein or mRNA were confined to the intestine, and restricted to delimited anatomical zones. Expression of luciferase in the form of multiple small bioluminescent foci in the distal ileum, cecum, and proximal colon suggested multiple crossing points. Many foci were unassociated with visible Peyer's patches, implying that transduced cells lay in proximity to villous rather than follicle-associated epithelium, as supported by detection of transgene-encoded antigen in villous epithelial cells. Transgene-encoded mRNA but not protein was readily detected in Peyer's patches, suggesting that post-transcriptional regulation of viral gene expression might limit expression of transgene-encoded antigen in this tissue. To characterize the pathways by which the vector crossed the intestinal epithelium and encountered sentinel cells, a fluorescent-labeled vector was administered to mice by the intragastric route or inoculated into ligated intestinal loops comprising a Peyer's patch. The vector adhered selectively to microfold cells in the follicle-associated epithelium, and, after translocation to the subepithelial dome region, was captured by phagocytes that expressed CD11c and lysozyme. In conclusion, although a large number of crossing events took place throughout the intestine within and without Peyer's patches, multiple firewalls prevented systemic dissemination of vector and suppressed production of transgene-encoded protein in Peyer's patches. PMID:29423380

The effective Tolman temperature in curved spacetimes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Wontae

We review a recently proposed effective Tolman temperature and present its applications to various gravitational systems. In the Unruh state for the evaporating black holes, the free-fall energy density is found to be negative divergent at the horizon, which is in contrast to the conventional calculations performed in the Kruskal coordinates. We resolve this conflict by invoking that the Kruskal coordinates could be no longer proper coordinates at the horizon. In the Hartle-Hawking-Israel state, despite the negative finite proper energy density at the horizon, the Tolman temperature is divergent there due to the infinite blueshift of the Hawking temperature. However, a consistent Stefan-Boltzmann law with the Hawking radiation shows that the effective Tolman temperature is eventually finite everywhere and the equivalence principle is surprisingly restored at the horizon. Then, we also show that the firewall necessarily emerges out of the Unruh vacuum, so that the Tolman temperature in the evaporating black hole is naturally divergent due to the infinitely blueshifted negative ingoing flux crossing the horizon, whereas the outgoing Hawking radiation characterized by the effective Tolman temperature indeed originates from the quantum atmosphere, not just at the horizon. So, the firewall and the atmosphere for the Hawking radiation turn out to be compatible, once we discard the fact that the Hawking radiation in the Unruh state originates from the infinitely blueshifted outgoing excitations at the horizon. Finally, as a cosmological application, the initial radiation energy density in warm inflation scenarios has been assumed to be finite when inflation starts. We successfully find the origin of the nonvanishing initial radiation energy density in the warm inflation by using the effective Tolman temperature.

An open-source data storage and visualization back end for experimental data.

PubMed

Nielsen, Kenneth; Andersen, Thomas; Jensen, Robert; Nielsen, Jane H; Chorkendorff, Ib

2014-04-01

In this article, a flexible free and open-source software system for data logging and presentation will be described. The system is highly modular and adaptable and can be used in any laboratory in which continuous and/or ad hoc measurements require centralized storage. A presentation component for the data back end has furthermore been written that enables live visualization of data on any device capable of displaying Web pages. The system consists of three parts: data-logging clients, a data server, and a data presentation Web site. The logging of data from independent clients leads to high resilience to equipment failure, whereas the central storage of data dramatically eases backup and data exchange. The visualization front end allows direct monitoring of acquired data to see live progress of long-duration experiments. This enables the user to alter experimental conditions based on these data and to interfere with the experiment if needed. The data stored consist both of specific measurements and of continuously logged system parameters. The latter is crucial to a variety of automation and surveillance features, and three cases of such features are described: monitoring system health, getting status of long-duration experiments, and implementation of instant alarms in the event of failure.

Can at-risk young adolescents be popular and anti-social? Sociometric status groups, anti-social behaviour, gender and ethnic background.

PubMed

van de Schoot, Rens; van der Velden, Floor; Boom, Jan; Brugman, Daniël

2010-10-01

This study aimed to extend the understanding of anti-social behaviour and its association with popularity and sociometric status in a sample of at-risk adolescents from diverse ethnic backgrounds (n = 1491, average age 14.7 years). Both overt and covert types of anti-social behaviour were used to distinguish subgroups. These subgroups were created on the basis of anti-social behaviour profile scores, using Latent Class Analysis. Moderator effects of gender and ethnic background were investigated using a log-linear analysis. The main finding was that each sociometric status group consisted of subgroups that differed in terms of prevalence of self-reported anti-social behaviour. At-risk young adolescents who reported involvement in anti-social behaviour appeared in every status group, including the popular group. Implications for school prevention programmes for anti-social behaviour are discussed.

Consuming Iron Biofortified Beans Increases Iron Status in Rwandan Women after 128 Days in a Randomized Controlled Feeding Trial.

PubMed

Haas, Jere D; Luna, Sarah V; Lung'aho, Mercy G; Wenger, Michael J; Murray-Kolb, Laura E; Beebe, Stephen; Gahutu, Jean-Bosco; Egli, Ines M

2016-08-01

Food-based strategies to reduce nutritional iron deficiency have not been universally successful. Biofortification has the potential to become a sustainable, inexpensive, and effective solution. This randomized controlled trial was conducted to determine the efficacy of iron-biofortified beans (Fe-Beans) to improve iron status in Rwandan women. A total of 195 women (aged 18-27 y) with serum ferritin <20 μg/L were randomly assigned to receive either Fe-Beans, with 86 mg Fe/kg, or standard unfortified beans (Control-Beans), with 50 mg Fe/kg, 2 times/d for 128 d in Huye, Rwanda. Iron status was assessed by hemoglobin, serum ferritin, soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), and body iron (BI); inflammation was assessed by serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP). Anthropometric measurements were performed at baseline and at end line. Random weekly serial sampling was used to collect blood during the middle 8 wk of the feeding trial. Mixed-effects regression analysis with repeated measurements was used to evaluate the effect of Fe-Beans compared with Control-Beans on iron biomarkers throughout the course of the study. At baseline, 86% of subjects were iron-deficient (serum ferritin <15 μg/L) and 37% were anemic (hemoglobin <120 g/L). Both groups consumed an average of 336 g wet beans/d. The Fe-Beans group consumed 14.5 ± 1.6 mg Fe/d from biofortified beans, whereas the Control-Beans group consumed 8.6 ± 0.8 mg Fe/d from standard beans (P < 0.05). Repeated-measures analyses showed significant time-by-treatment interactions for hemoglobin, log serum ferritin, and BI (P < 0.05). The Fe-Beans group had significantly greater increases in hemoglobin (3.8 g/L), log serum ferritin (0.1 log μg/L), and BI (0.5 mg/kg) than did controls after 128 d. For every 1 g Fe consumed from beans over the 128 study days, there was a significant 4.2-g/L increase in hemoglobin (P < 0.05). The consumption of iron-biofortified beans significantly improved iron status in Rwandan women. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01594359. © 2016 American Society for Nutrition.

Sweep visually evoked potentials and visual findings in children with West syndrome.

PubMed

de Freitas Dotto, Patrícia; Cavascan, Nívea Nunes; Berezovsky, Adriana; Sacai, Paula Yuri; Rocha, Daniel Martins; Pereira, Josenilson Martins; Salomão, Solange Rios

2014-03-01

West syndrome (WS) is a type of early childhood epilepsy characterized by progressive neurological development deterioration that includes vision. To demonstrate the clinical importance of grating visual acuity thresholds (GVA) measurement by sweep visually evoked potentials technique (sweep-VEP) as a reliable tool for evaluation of the visual cortex status in WS children. This is a retrospective study of the best-corrected binocular GVA and ophthalmological features of WS children referred for the Laboratory of Clinical Electrophysiology of Vision of UNIFESP from 1998 to 2012 (Committee on Ethics in Research of UNIFESP n° 0349/08). The GVA deficit was calculated by subtracting binocular GVA score (logMAR units) of each patient from the median values of age norms from our own lab and classified as mild (0.1-0.39 logMAR), moderate (0.40-0.80 logMAR) or severe (>0.81 logMAR). Associated ophthalmological features were also described. Data from 30 WS children (age from 6 to 108 months, median = 14.5 months, mean ± SD = 22.0 ± 22.1 months; 19 male) were analyzed. The majority presented severe GVA deficit (0.15-1.44 logMAR; mean ± SD = 0.82 ± 0.32 logMAR; median = 0.82 logMAR), poor visual behavior, high prevalence of strabismus and great variability in ocular positioning. The GVA deficit did not vary according to gender (P = .8022), WS type (P = .908), birth age (P = .2881), perinatal oxygenation (P = .7692), visual behavior (P = .8789), ocular motility (P = .1821), nystagmus (P = .2868), risk of drug-induced retinopathy (P = .4632) and participation in early visual stimulation therapy (P = .9010). The sweep-VEP technique is a reliable tool to classify visual system impairment in WS children, in agreement with the poor visual behavior exhibited by them. Copyright © 2013 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adjusting body cell mass for size in women of differing nutritional status.

PubMed

Wells, Jonathan C K; Murphy, Alexia J; Buntain, Helen M; Greer, Ristan M; Cleghorn, Geoffrey J; Davies, Peter S W

2004-08-01

Body cell mass (BCM) may be estimated in clinical practice to assess functional nutritional status, eg, in patients with anorexia nervosa. Interpretation of the data, especially in younger patients who are still growing, requires appropriate adjustment for size. Previous investigations of this general issue have addressed chemical rather than functional components of body composition and have not considered patients at the extremes of nutritional status, in whom the ability to make longitudinal comparisons is of particular importance. Our objective was to determine the power by which height should be raised to adjust BCM for height in women of differing nutritional status. BCM was estimated by (40)K counting in 58 healthy women, 33 healthy female adolescents, and 75 female adolescents with anorexia nervosa. The relation between BCM and height was explored in each group by using log-log regression analysis. The powers by which height should be raised to adjust BCM were 1.73, 1.73, and 2.07 in the women, healthy female adolescents, and anorexic female adolescents, respectively. A simplified version of the index, BCM/height(2), was appropriate for all 3 categories and was negligibly correlated with height. In normal-weight women, the relation between height and BCM is consistent with that reported previously between height and fat-free mass. Although the consistency of the relation between BCM and fat-free mass decreases with increasing weight loss, the relation between height and BCM is not significantly different between normal-weight and underweight women. The index BCM/height(2) is easy to calculate and applicable to both healthy and underweight women. This information may be helpful in interpreting body-composition data in clinical practice.

Inferring social status and rich club effects in enterprise communication networks.

PubMed

Dong, Yuxiao; Tang, Jie; Chawla, Nitesh V; Lou, Tiancheng; Yang, Yang; Wang, Bai

2015-01-01

Social status, defined as the relative rank or position that an individual holds in a social hierarchy, is known to be among the most important motivating forces in social behaviors. In this paper, we consider the notion of status from the perspective of a position or title held by a person in an enterprise. We study the intersection of social status and social networks in an enterprise. We study whether enterprise communication logs can help reveal how social interactions and individual status manifest themselves in social networks. To that end, we use two enterprise datasets with three communication channels--voice call, short message, and email--to demonstrate the social-behavioral differences among individuals with different status. We have several interesting findings and based on these findings we also develop a model to predict social status. On the individual level, high-status individuals are more likely to be spanned as structural holes by linking to people in parts of the enterprise networks that are otherwise not well connected to one another. On the community level, the principle of homophily, social balance and clique theory generally indicate a "rich club" maintained by high-status individuals, in the sense that this community is much more connected, balanced and dense. Our model can predict social status of individuals with 93% accuracy.

Caspar Creek Watershed Study--North Fork Phase, Jackson Demonstration State Forest, Status and Plans, 1983-1990

Treesearch

Norm Henry; Karen Sendek

1985-01-01

Abstract - The California Department of Forestry and U.S. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station have been conducting a paired watershed study on Jackson Demonstration State Forest for 24 years. The South Fork watershed phase of the study involved monitoring the impacts of road construction (1967) and selective tractor logging (1971-1973...

77 FR 5091 - Certain New Chemicals; Receipt and Status Information

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-01

... identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray machine and subject to search. Visitors will be provided an EPA/DC badge that must be... clear coatings for wood, plastic and metal. P-12-0055 11/17/2011 02/14/2012 CBI (G) Foam stabilizer and...

High Enrollment Course Success Factors in Virtual School: Factors Influencing Student Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Feng; Cavanaugh, Cathy

2011-01-01

This paper describes a study of success factors in high enrollment courses in a K-12 virtual school learning environment. The influence of variables: time student spent in the learning management system (LMS), number of times logged into the LMS, teacher comment, participation in free or reduced lunch programs, student status in the virtual school…

Increasing the Operational Value of Event Messages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Li, Zhenping; Savkli, Cetin; Smith, Dan

2003-01-01

Assessing the health of a space mission has traditionally been performed using telemetry analysis tools. Parameter values are compared to known operational limits and are plotted over various time periods. This presentation begins with the notion that there is an incredible amount of untapped information contained within the mission s event message logs. Through creative advancements in message handling tools, the event message logs can be used to better assess spacecraft and ground system status and to highlight and report on conditions not readily apparent when messages are evaluated one-at-a-time during a real-time pass. Work in this area is being funded as part of a larger NASA effort at the Goddard Space Flight Center to create component-based, middleware-based, standards-based general purpose ground system architecture referred to as GMSEC - the GSFC Mission Services Evolution Center. The new capabilities and operational concepts for event display, event data analyses and data mining are being developed by Lockheed Martin and the new subsystem has been named GREAT - the GMSEC Reusable Event Analysis Toolkit. Planned for use on existing and future missions, GREAT has the potential to increase operational efficiency in areas of problem detection and analysis, general status reporting, and real-time situational awareness.

Mobile Phone-Based Field Monitoring for Satsuma Mandarin and Its Application to Watering Advice System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamiya, Toshiyuki; Numano, Nagisa; Yagyu, Hiroyuki; Shimazu, Hideo

This paper describes a mobile phone-based data logging system for monitoring the growing status of Satsuma mandarin, a type of citrus fruit, in the field. The system can provide various feedback to the farm producers with collected data, such as visualization of related data as a timeline chart or advice on the necessity of watering crops. It is important to collect information on environment conditions, plant status and product quality, to analyze it and to provide it as feedback to the farm producers to aid their operations. This paper proposes a novel framework of field monitoring and feedback for open-field farming. For field monitoring, it combines a low-cost plant status monitoring method using a simple apparatus and a Field Server for environment condition monitoring. Each field worker has a simple apparatus to measure fruit firmness and records data with a mobile phone. The logged data are stored in the database of the system on the server. The system analyzes stored data for each field and is able to show the necessity of watering to the user in five levels. The system is also able to show various stored data in timeline chart form. The user and coach can compare or analyze these data via a web interface. A test site was built at a Satsuma mandarin field at Kumano in Mie Prefecture, Japan using the framework, and farm workers monitor in the area used and evaluated the system.

A security mediator for health care information.

PubMed Central

Wiederhold, G.; Bilello, M.; Sarathy, V.; Qian, X.

1996-01-01

The TIHI (Trusted Interoperation of Healthcare Information) project addresses a security issue that arises when some information is being shared among collaborating enterprises, although not all enterprise information is sharable. It assumes that protection exists to prevent intrusion by adversaries through secure transmission and firewalls. The TIHI system design provides a gateway, owned by the enterprise security officer, to mediate queries and responses. The latter are typically transmitted via the Internet. The enterprise policy is determined by rules provided to the mediator. We show examples of typical rules. The problem and our solution, although developed in a healthcare context, is equally valid among collaborating enterprises. PMID:8947640

Aerogel: From Aerospace to Apparel

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

Aspen Systems Inc. developed an aerogel-manufacturing process solved the handling problems associated with aerogel-based insulation products. Their aerogels can now be manufactured into blankets, thin sheets, beads, and molded parts; and may be transparent, translucent, or opaque. Aspen made the material effective for window and skylight insulation, non-flammable building insulation, and inexpensive firewall insulation that will withstand fires in homes and buildings, and also assist in the prevention of forest fires. Another Aspen product is Spaceloft(TM); an inexpensive, flexible blanket that incorporates a thin layer of aerogel embedded directly into the fabric. Spaceloft, is incorporated into jackets intended for wear in extremely harsh conditions and activities, such as Antarctic expeditions.

The Black Hole Information Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polchinski, Joseph

The black hole information problem has been a challenge since Hawking's original 1975 paper. It led to the discovery of AdS/CFT, which gave a partial resolution of the paradox. However, recent developments, in particular the firewall puzzle, show that there is much that we do not understand. I review the black hole, Hawking radiation, and the Page curve, and the classic form of the paradox. I discuss AdS/CFT as a partial resolution. I then discuss black hole complementarity and its limitations, leading to many proposals for different kinds of `drama.' I conclude with some recent ideas. Presented at the 2014-15 Jerusalem Winter School and the 2015 TASI.

Reductions in primate abundance and diversity in a multiuse protected area: synergistic impacts of hunting and logging in a congo basin forest.

PubMed

Remis, Melissa J; Jost Robinson, Carolyn A

2012-07-01

This article explores spatial and temporal changes in diurnal primate abundance and behavior in response to hunting, logging, and conservation at the Dzanga Sangha Dense Forest Reserve (RDS), Central African Republic over time. We use a combination of line-transect surveys in 2002 and 2009 (N = 540 km) and ethnographic interviews (N = 210) to investigate changes in the status of cercopithecines and colobines at RDS, with additional comparisons to earlier work. This protected area was lightly logged in the 1970s and the park was gazetted in 1990, with multiple-use reserve sectors allocated. Since the park's inception, hunting and the trade of primates have increased, along with human migration, greater accessibility of arms, and reduction of preferred ungulate prey. Primates have declined in both the park and reserve sectors. Our data further suggest that at RDS hunting has had a greater impact on primate diversity and abundance than logging. We have identified changes in species-specific vulnerability to hunting over time, with Cercopithecus nictitans and Lophocebus albigena initially having appeared to be relatively resistant to hunting pressure in 2002. However, subsequently as gun hunting has increased at RDS, these species have become vulnerable. Although monkeys at RDS have been responding behaviorally to increased gun hunting, they are not able to keep pace with changing hunting practices. This study allows us to begin to understand synergistic impacts of hunting and logging, necessary if we are to recommend strategies to better secure the future of primates in multiuse protected areas. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sensitivity of lod scores to changes in diagnostic status.

PubMed Central

Hodge, S E; Greenberg, D A

1992-01-01

This paper investigates effects on lod scores when one individual in a data set changes diagnostic or recombinant status. First we examine the situation in which a single offspring in a nuclear family changes status. The nuclear-family situation, in addition to being of interest in its own right, also has general theoretical importance, since nuclear families are "transparent"; that is, one can track genetic events more precisely in nuclear families than in complex pedigrees. We demonstrate that in nuclear families log10 [(1-theta)/theta] gives an upper limit on the impact that a single offspring's change in status can have on the lod score at that recombination fraction (theta). These limits hold for a fully penetrant dominant condition and fully informative marker, in either phase-known or phase-unknown matings. Moreover, log10 [(1-theta)/theta] (where theta denotes the value of theta at which Zmax occurs) gives an upper limit on the impact of a single offspring's status change on the maximum lod score (Zmax). In extended pedigrees, in contrast to nuclear families, no comparable limit can be set on the impact of a single individual on the lod score. Complex pedigrees are subject to both stabilizing and destabilizing influences, and these are described. Finally, we describe a "sensitivity analysis," in which, after all linkage analysis is completed, every informative individual in the data set is changed, one at a time, to see the effect which each separate change has on the lod scores. The procedure includes identifying "critical individuals," i.e., those who would have the greatest impact on the lod scores, should their diagnostic status in fact change. To illustrate use of the sensitivity analysis, we apply it to the large bipolar pedigree reported by Egeland et al. and Kelsoe et al. We show that the changes in lod scores observed there, on the order of 1.1-1.2 per person, are not unusual. We recommend that investigators include a sensitivity analysis as a standard part of reporting the results of a linkage analysis. PMID:1570835

Sensitivity of lod scores to changes in diagnostic status.

PubMed

Hodge, S E; Greenberg, D A

1992-05-01

This paper investigates effects on lod scores when one individual in a data set changes diagnostic or recombinant status. First we examine the situation in which a single offspring in a nuclear family changes status. The nuclear-family situation, in addition to being of interest in its own right, also has general theoretical importance, since nuclear families are "transparent"; that is, one can track genetic events more precisely in nuclear families than in complex pedigrees. We demonstrate that in nuclear families log10 [(1-theta)/theta] gives an upper limit on the impact that a single offspring's change in status can have on the lod score at that recombination fraction (theta). These limits hold for a fully penetrant dominant condition and fully informative marker, in either phase-known or phase-unknown matings. Moreover, log10 [(1-theta)/theta] (where theta denotes the value of theta at which Zmax occurs) gives an upper limit on the impact of a single offspring's status change on the maximum lod score (Zmax). In extended pedigrees, in contrast to nuclear families, no comparable limit can be set on the impact of a single individual on the lod score. Complex pedigrees are subject to both stabilizing and destabilizing influences, and these are described. Finally, we describe a "sensitivity analysis," in which, after all linkage analysis is completed, every informative individual in the data set is changed, one at a time, to see the effect which each separate change has on the lod scores. The procedure includes identifying "critical individuals," i.e., those who would have the greatest impact on the lod scores, should their diagnostic status in fact change. To illustrate use of the sensitivity analysis, we apply it to the large bipolar pedigree reported by Egeland et al. and Kelsoe et al. We show that the changes in lod scores observed there, on the order of 1.1-1.2 per person, are not unusual. We recommend that investigators include a sensitivity analysis as a standard part of reporting the results of a linkage analysis.

Deep Space Network equipment performance, reliability, and operations management information system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, T.; Lin, J.; Chatillon, M.

2002-01-01

The Deep Space Mission System (DSMS) Operations Program Office and the DeepSpace Network (DSN) facilities utilize the Discrepancy Reporting Management System (DRMS) to collect, process, communicate and manage data discrepancies, equipment resets, physical equipment status, and to maintain an internal Station Log. A collaborative effort development between JPL and the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex delivered a system to support DSN Operations.

Estimates of downed woody debris decay class transitions for forests across the eastern United States

Treesearch

Matthew B. Russell; Christopher W. Woodall; Shawn Fraver; Anthony W. D' Amato

2013-01-01

Large-scale inventories of downed woody debris (DWD; downed dead wood of a minimum size) often record decay status by assigning pieces to classes of decay according to their visual/structural attributes (e.g., presence of branches, log shape, and texture and color of wood). DWD decay classes are not only essential for estimating current DWD biomass and carbon stocks,...

Levels-of-growing-stock cooperative study in Douglas-fir: report no. 08—The LOGS Study, 20-year results.

Treesearch

Robert O. Curtis; David D. Marshall

1986-01-01

This progress report reviews the history and status of the cooperative levels-of-growing-stock study in coast Douglas-fir, begun in 1961, in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. It presents new analyses, including comparisons among some installations. Data now available are primarily from the site II installations, which are approaching completion of the study....

Status and conservation of northern goshawks in the central Appalachian mountains: has the population trend reversed since 2001?

Treesearch

David F. Brinker; Kevin P. Boyle

2010-01-01

Prior to European settlement, northern goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) were a regular component of the high-elevation Appalachian breeding bird fauna, possibly as far south as the Great Smoky Mountains in North Carolina. As a result of extensive 19th century logging in the Appalachians, goshawks were extirpated from Maryland south by the beginning of...

Disparities between Ophthalmologists and Patients in Estimating Quality of Life Associated with Diabetic Retinopathy

PubMed Central

Zou, Haidong; Xu, Xun; Zhang, Xi

2015-01-01

Background This study aimed to evaluate and compare the utility values associated with diabetic retinopathy (DR) in a sample of Chinese patients and ophthalmologists. Methods Utility values were evaluated by both the time trade-off (TTO) and rating scale (RS) methods for 109 eligible patients with DR and 2 experienced ophthalmologists. Patients were stratified by Snellen best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the better-seeing eye. The correlations between the utility values and general vision-related health status measures were analyzed. These utility values were compared with data from two other studies. Results The mean utility values elicited from the patients themselves with the TTO (0.81; SD 0.10) and RS (0.81; SD 0.11) methods were both statistically lower than the mean utility values assessed by ophthalmologists. Significant predictors of patients’ TTO and RS utility values were both LogMAR BCVA in the affected eye and average weighted LogMAR BCVA. DR grade and duration of visual dysfunction were also variables that significantly predicted patients’ TTO utility values. For ophthalmologists, patients’ LogMAR BCVA in the affected eye and in the better eye were the variables that significantly predicted both the TTO and RS utility values. Patients’ education level was also a variable that significantly predicted RS utility values. Moreover, both diabetic macular edema and employment status were significant predictors of TTO and RS utility values, whether from patients or ophthalmologists. There was no difference in mean TTO utility values compared to our American and Canadian patients. Conclusions DR caused a substantial decrease in Chinese patients’ utility values, and ophthalmologists substantially underestimated its effect on patient quality of life. PMID:26630653

Patients' barriers to receipt of cancer care, and factors associated with needing more assistance from a patient navigator.

PubMed

Hendren, Samantha; Chin, Nancy; Fisher, Susan; Winters, Paul; Griggs, Jennifer; Mohile, Supriya; Fiscella, Kevin

2011-08-01

Racial minorities have poorer cancer survival in the United States compared to whites. The purpose of this study was to better understand patients' barriers to cancer care and to determine which patients have a greater need for assistance from a patient navigator. Community health workers assisted newly-diagnosed breast and colorectal cancer patients during a randomized trial of patient navigation and collected information about patients' barriers. Barriers to care were characterized and compared between non-Hispanic white and minority patients. A multivariate model was constructed of factors associated with increased log navigation time, a measure of patients' need for assistance. Patients' (n = 103) most commonly identified barriers to care included a lack of social support, insurance/financial concerns, and problems communicating with health care providers. Barriers differed between nonminority and minority patients, and minority patients faced a greater number of barriers (p = .0001). In univariate analysis, log navigation time was associated with race/ethnicity, education, income, employment, insurance type, health literacy, marital status, language, and comorbidity. A multivariate model (R2 = 0.43) for log navigation time was created using stepwise selection, and included the following factors: minority race/ethnicity (p = .032), non-full-time employment (p = .0004), unmarried status (p = .085), university center (p = .0005), and months in study (p <.0001). Newly diagnosed cancer patients' most common barriers to care include lack of social support, insurance/financial concerns, and problems with health care communications. In this sample of patients, a greater need for assistance was independently associated with minority race/ethnicity and unemployment. These data may help in the design and targeting of interventions to reduce cancer health disparities.

Creative Analytics of Mission Ops Event Messages

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Dan

2017-01-01

Historically, tremendous effort has been put into processing and displaying mission health and safety telemetry data; and relatively little attention has been paid to extracting information from missions time-tagged event log messages. Todays missions may log tens of thousands of messages per day and the numbers are expected to dramatically increase as satellite fleets and constellations are launched, as security monitoring continues to evolve, and as the overall complexity of ground system operations increases. The logs may contain information about orbital events, scheduled and actual observations, device status and anomalies, when operators were logged on, when commands were resent, when there were data drop outs or system failures, and much much more. When dealing with distributed space missions or operational fleets, it becomes even more important to systematically analyze this data. Several advanced information systems technologies make it appropriate to now develop analytic capabilities which can increase mission situational awareness, reduce mission risk, enable better event-driven automation and cross-mission collaborations, and lead to improved operations strategies: Industry Standard for Log Messages. The Object Management Group (OMG) Space Domain Task Force (SDTF) standards organization is in the process of creating a formal standard for industry for event log messages. The format is based on work at NASA GSFC. Open System Architectures. The DoD, NASA, and others are moving towards common open system architectures for mission ground data systems based on work at NASA GSFC with the full support of the commercial product industry and major integration contractors. Text Analytics. A specific area of data analytics which applies statistical, linguistic, and structural techniques to extract and classify information from textual sources. This presentation describes work now underway at NASA to increase situational awareness through the collection of non-telemetry mission operations information into a common log format and then providing display and analytics tools to provide in-depth assessment of the log contents. The work includes: Common interface formats for acquiring time-tagged text messages Conversion of common files for schedules, orbital events, and stored commands to the common log format Innovative displays to depict thousands of messages on a single display Structured English text queries against the log message data store, extensible to a more mature natural language query capability Goal of speech-to-text and text-to-speech additions to create a personal mission operations assistant to aid on-console operations. A wide variety of planned uses identified by the mission operations teams will be discussed.

Spatio-Temporal Constrained Human Trajectory Generation from the PIR Motion Detector Sensor Network Data: A Geometric Algebra Approach

PubMed Central

Yu, Zhaoyuan; Yuan, Linwang; Luo, Wen; Feng, Linyao; Lv, Guonian

2015-01-01

Passive infrared (PIR) motion detectors, which can support long-term continuous observation, are widely used for human motion analysis. Extracting all possible trajectories from the PIR sensor networks is important. Because the PIR sensor does not log location and individual information, none of the existing methods can generate all possible human motion trajectories that satisfy various spatio-temporal constraints from the sensor activation log data. In this paper, a geometric algebra (GA)-based approach is developed to generate all possible human trajectories from the PIR sensor network data. Firstly, the representation of the geographical network, sensor activation response sequences and the human motion are represented as algebraic elements using GA. The human motion status of each sensor activation are labeled using the GA-based trajectory tracking. Then, a matrix multiplication approach is developed to dynamically generate the human trajectories according to the sensor activation log and the spatio-temporal constraints. The method is tested with the MERL motion database. Experiments show that our method can flexibly extract the major statistical pattern of the human motion. Compared with direct statistical analysis and tracklet graph method, our method can effectively extract all possible trajectories of the human motion, which makes it more accurate. Our method is also likely to provides a new way to filter other passive sensor log data in sensor networks. PMID:26729123

Spatio-Temporal Constrained Human Trajectory Generation from the PIR Motion Detector Sensor Network Data: A Geometric Algebra Approach.

PubMed

Yu, Zhaoyuan; Yuan, Linwang; Luo, Wen; Feng, Linyao; Lv, Guonian

2015-12-30

Passive infrared (PIR) motion detectors, which can support long-term continuous observation, are widely used for human motion analysis. Extracting all possible trajectories from the PIR sensor networks is important. Because the PIR sensor does not log location and individual information, none of the existing methods can generate all possible human motion trajectories that satisfy various spatio-temporal constraints from the sensor activation log data. In this paper, a geometric algebra (GA)-based approach is developed to generate all possible human trajectories from the PIR sensor network data. Firstly, the representation of the geographical network, sensor activation response sequences and the human motion are represented as algebraic elements using GA. The human motion status of each sensor activation are labeled using the GA-based trajectory tracking. Then, a matrix multiplication approach is developed to dynamically generate the human trajectories according to the sensor activation log and the spatio-temporal constraints. The method is tested with the MERL motion database. Experiments show that our method can flexibly extract the major statistical pattern of the human motion. Compared with direct statistical analysis and tracklet graph method, our method can effectively extract all possible trajectories of the human motion, which makes it more accurate. Our method is also likely to provides a new way to filter other passive sensor log data in sensor networks.

The Relative Associations of β-Cell Function and Insulin Sensitivity with Glycemic Status and Incident Glycemic Progression in Migrant Asian Indians in the United States: the MASALA study

PubMed Central

Gujral, UP; Narayan, KMV; Kahn, SE; Kanaya, AM

2013-01-01

AIMS We assessed the relative associations of β-cell dysfunction and insulin sensitivity with baseline glycemic status and incident glycemic progression among Asian Indians in the United States. METHODS A 5-sample oral glucose tolerance test was obtained at baseline. Normoglycemia, impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) were defined by ADA criteria. The Matsuda Index (ISIM) estimated insulin sensitivity, and the Disposition Index (DIo) estimated β-cell function. Visceral fat was measured by abdominal CT. After 2.5 years, participants underwent a 2-sample oral glucose tolerance test. Standardized polytomous logistic regression was used to examine associations with prevalent and incident glycemia. RESULTS Mean age was 57±8 years and BMI 26.1±4.6 kg/m2. Log ISIM and log DIo were associated with prediabetes and T2DM after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, family history of diabetes, hypertension, and smoking. After adjusting for visceral fat, only DIo remained associated with prediabetes (OR per SD 0.17, 95% CI: 0.70, 0.41) and T2DM (OR 0.003, 95% CI: 0.0001, 0.03). Incidence rates (per 1,000 person-year) were: normoglycemia to IGT: 82.0, 95% CI (40, 150); to IFG: 8.4, 95% CI (0, 41); to T2DM: 8.6, 95% CI (0, 42); IGT to T2DM: 55.0, 95% CI (17, 132); IFG to T2DM: 64.0, 95% CI (3, 316). The interaction between sex and the change in waist circumference (OR 1.8, per SD 95% CI: 1.22, 2.70) and the change in log HOMA-β(OR 0.37, per SD 95% CI: 0.17, 0.81) were associated with glycemic progression. CONCLUSIONS The association of DIo with baseline glycemia after accounting for visceral fat as well as the association of the change in log HOMA-β with incident glycemic progression implies innate β-cell susceptibility in Asian Indians for glucose intolerance or dysglycemia. PMID:24211090

Inferring Social Status and Rich Club Effects in Enterprise Communication Networks

PubMed Central

Dong, Yuxiao; Tang, Jie; Chawla, Nitesh V.; Lou, Tiancheng; Yang, Yang; Wang, Bai

2015-01-01

Social status, defined as the relative rank or position that an individual holds in a social hierarchy, is known to be among the most important motivating forces in social behaviors. In this paper, we consider the notion of status from the perspective of a position or title held by a person in an enterprise. We study the intersection of social status and social networks in an enterprise. We study whether enterprise communication logs can help reveal how social interactions and individual status manifest themselves in social networks. To that end, we use two enterprise datasets with three communication channels — voice call, short message, and email — to demonstrate the social-behavioral differences among individuals with different status. We have several interesting findings and based on these findings we also develop a model to predict social status. On the individual level, high-status individuals are more likely to be spanned as structural holes by linking to people in parts of the enterprise networks that are otherwise not well connected to one another. On the community level, the principle of homophily, social balance and clique theory generally indicate a “rich club” maintained by high-status individuals, in the sense that this community is much more connected, balanced and dense. Our model can predict social status of individuals with 93% accuracy. PMID:25822343

Tracking delays in report availability caused by incorrect exam status with Web-based issue tracking: a quality initiative.

PubMed

Awan, Omer Abdulrehman; van Wagenberg, Frans; Daly, Mark; Safdar, Nabile; Nagy, Paul

2011-04-01

Many radiology information systems (RIS) cannot accept a final report from a dictation reporting system before the exam has been completed in the RIS by a technologist. A radiologist can still render a report in a reporting system once images are available, but the RIS and ancillary systems may not get the results because of the study's uncompleted status. This delay in completing the study caused an alarming number of delayed reports and was undetected by conventional RIS reporting techniques. We developed a Web-based reporting tool to monitor uncompleted exams and automatically page section supervisors when a report was being delayed by its incomplete status in the RIS. Institutional Review Board exemption was obtained. At four imaging centers, a Python script was developed to poll the dictation system every 10 min for exams in five different modalities that were signed by the radiologist but could not be sent to the RIS. This script logged the exams into an existing Web-based tracking tool using PHP and a MySQL database. The script also text-paged the modality supervisor. The script logged the time at which the report was finally sent, and statistics were aggregated onto a separate Web-based reporting tool. Over a 1-year period, the average number of uncompleted exams per month and time to problem resolution decreased at every imaging center and in almost every imaging modality. Automated feedback provides a vital link in improving technologist performance and patient care without assigning a human resource to manage report queues.

Predicting length of children's psychiatric hospitalizations: an "ecologic" approach.

PubMed

Mossman, D; Songer, D A; Baker, D G

1991-08-01

This article describes the development and validation of a simple and modestly successful model for predicting inpatient length of stay (LOS) at a state-funded facility providing acute to long term care for children and adolescents in Ohio. Six variables--diagnostic group, legal status at time of admission, attending physician, age, sex, and county of residence--explained 30% of the variation in log10LOS in the subgroup used to create the model, and 26% of log10LOS variation in the cross-validation subgroup. The model also identified LOS outliers with moderate accuracy (ROC area = .68-0.76). The authors attribute the model's success to inclusion of variables that are correlated to idiosyncratic "ecologic" factors as well as variables related to severity of illness. Future attempts to construct LOS models may adopt similar approaches.

The Relationship between Zinc Intake and Serum/Plasma Zinc Concentration in Children: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Moran, Victoria Hall; Stammers, Anna-Louise; Medina, Marisol Warthon; Patel, Sujata; Dykes, Fiona; Souverein, Olga W.; Dullemeijer, Carla; Pérez-Rodrigo, Carmen; Serra-Majem, Lluis; Nissensohn, Mariela; Lowe, Nicola M.

2012-01-01

Recommendations for zinc intake during childhood vary widely across Europe. The EURRECA project attempts to consolidate the basis for the definition of micronutrient requirements, taking into account relationships among intake, status and health outcomes, in order to harmonise these recommendations. Data on zinc intake and biomarkers of zinc status reported in randomised controlled trials (RCTs) can provide estimates of dose-response relationships which may be used for underpinning zinc reference values. This systematic review included all RCTs of apparently healthy children aged 1–17 years published by February 2010 which provided data on zinc intake and biomarkers of zinc status. An intake-status regression coefficient () was calculated for each individual study and calculated the overall pooled and SE () using random effects meta-analysis on a double log scale. The pooled dose-response relationship between zinc intake and zinc status indicated that a doubling of the zinc intake increased the serum/plasma zinc status by 9%. This evidence can be utilised, together with currently used balance studies and repletion/depletion studies, when setting zinc recommendations as a basis for nutrition policies. PMID:23016120

Predictors of basic self-care and intermediate self-care functional disabilities among older adults in Ghana.

PubMed

Amegbor, Prince M; Kuuire, Vincent Z; Robertson, Hamish; Kuffuor, Oscar A

2018-04-12

The number of older adults in Ghana is growing rapidly. Associated with this growth, is the rise in age-related chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and musculoskeletal conditions. However, there is limited knowledge in the Ghanaian context on the effect of chronic diseases on functional disabilities among older adults. In this study, we examine the association between chronic diseases, socioeconomic status, and functional disabilities. Data from 4107 Ghanaian older adults (persons aged 50 years and above) who participated in the World Health Organization's Global Ageing and Adult Health survey (SAGE-Wave 1) were used to fit random effect multivariate logistic and complementary log-log regression. Stroke was significantly associated with difficulty in performing both basic self-care functions and intermediate self-care functions. Hypertension and arthritis, on the other hand, were associated with basic self-care functional disability only. Socioeconomically vulnerable groups such as females, those with less education and low-incomes were more likely to have functional disabilities associated with basic self-care and intermediate self-care activities. In order to reduce functional disabilities among older persons in Ghana, efforts should be aimed at reducing chronic conditions as well as improving socioeconomic status. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Spatial analysis of skilled birth attendant utilization in Ghana.

PubMed

Asamoah, Benedict Oppong; Agardh, Anette; Cromley, Ellen K

2014-04-13

Maternal mortality is a major health problem in most resource-poor settings, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In Ghana, maternal mortality remains high and births attended by skilled health professionals are still low despite the introduction, in 2005, of free maternal health care for all women seeking care in public health facilities. This study aimed to explore geographical patterns in the risk of not utilizing a skilled birth attendant during childbirth in women of different socioeconomic backgrounds in Ghana. Global and Geographically Weighted Odds Ratios (GWORs) were used to examine the spatially varying relationships between low socioeconomic status (low education and low income) and non-utilization of skilled birth attendants based on data from the Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) 2008. Low education and low income were associated with non-use of skilled birth attendants. The GWORs revealed a north-south spatial variation in the magnitude of the association between non-use of skilled birth attendants and low education (Log GWOR ranged from 0.75 to 9.26) or low income (Log GWOR ranged from 1.11 to 6.34) with higher values in the north. The relationship between low socioeconomic status and the non-use of skilled birth attendants in Ghana is geographically variable. Effective governmental and non-governmental interventions are needed to address these regional inequalities.

Appliance of Independent Component Analysis to System Intrusion Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishii, Yoshikazu; Takagi, Tarou; Nakai, Kouji

In order to analyze the output of the intrusion detection system and the firewall, we evaluated the applicability of ICA(independent component analysis). We developed a simulator for evaluation of intrusion analysis method. The simulator consists of the network model of an information system, the service model and the vulnerability model of each server, and the action model performed on client and intruder. We applied the ICA for analyzing the audit trail of simulated information system. We report the evaluation result of the ICA on intrusion analysis. In the simulated case, ICA separated two attacks correctly, and related an attack and the abnormalities of the normal application produced under the influence of the attach.

Soft-Hair-Enhanced Entanglement Beyond Page Curves in a Black Hole Evaporation Qubit Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hotta, Masahiro; Nambu, Yasusada; Yamaguchi, Koji

2018-05-01

We propose a model with multiple qubits that reproduces the thermal properties of four-dimensional Schwarzschild black holes (BHs) by simultaneously taking account of the emission of Hawking particles and the zero-energy soft-hair evaporation at the horizon. The results verify that the entanglement entropy between a qubit and other subsystems, including emitted radiation, is much larger than the BH entropy analogue of the qubit, as opposed to the Page curve prediction. Our result suggests that early Hawking radiation is entangled with soft hair and that late Hawking radiation can be highly entangled with the degrees of freedom of a BH, avoiding the emergence of a firewall at the horizon.

Cusp singularities in f(R) gravity: pros and cons

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

Chen, Pisin; Yeom, Dong-han

We investigate cusp singularities in f(R) gravity, especially for Starobinsky and Hu-Sawicki dark energy models. We illustrate that, by using double-null numerical simulations, a cusp singularity can be triggered by gravitational collapses. This singularity can be cured by adding a quadratic term, but this causes a Ricci scalar bump that can be observed by an observer outside the event horizon. Comparing with cosmological parameters, it seems that it would be difficult to see super-Planckian effects by astrophysical experiments. On the other hand, at once there exists a cusp singularity, it can be a mechanism to realize a horizon scale curvaturemore » singularity that can be interpreted by a firewall.« less

Susceptibility of SCADA systems and the energy sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goike, Lindsay

The research in this paper focused on analyzing SCADA systems in the energy sector for susceptibility to cyber attacks, in furtherance of providing suggestions to mitigate current and future cyber attacks. The research will be addressing the questions: how are SCADA systems susceptible to cyber attacks, and what are the suggested ways to mitigate both current and future cyber attacks. The five main categories of security vulnerabilities facing current SCADA systems were found to be: connectivity to the Internet, failure to plan, interdependency of sectors, numerous different types of threats, and outdated software. Some of the recommendations mentioned to mitigate current and future risks were: virtual private networks, risk assessments, increased physical security, updating of software, and firewalls.

Science Opportunity Analyzer (SOA): Not Just Another Pretty Face

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Polanskey, Carol A.; Streiiffert, Barbara; O'Reilly, Taifun

2004-01-01

This viewgraph presentation reviews the Science Opportunity Analyzer (SOA). For the first time at JPL, the Cassini mission to Saturn is using distributed science operations for sequence generation. This means that scientist at other institutions has more responsibility to build the spacecraft sequence. Tools are required to support the sequence development. JPL tools required a complete configuration behind a firewall, and the tools that the user community had developed did not interface with the JPL tools. Therefore the SOA was created to bridge the gap between the remote scientists and the JPL operations teams. The presentation reviews the development of the SOA, and what was required of the system. The presentation reviews the functions that the SOA performed.

Access Control of Web and Java Based Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tso, Kam S.; Pajevski, Michael J.; Johnson, Bryan

2011-01-01

Cyber security has gained national and international attention as a result of near continuous headlines from financial institutions, retail stores, government offices and universities reporting compromised systems and stolen data. Concerns continue to rise as threats of service interruption, and spreading of viruses become ever more prevalent and serious. Controlling access to application layer resources is a critical component in a layered security solution that includes encryption, firewalls, virtual private networks, antivirus, and intrusion detection. In this paper we discuss the development of an application-level access control solution, based on an open-source access manager augmented with custom software components, to provide protection to both Web-based and Java-based client and server applications.

Long-term survival outcomes in patients with surgically treated oropharyngeal cancer and defined human papilloma virus status.

PubMed

Dale, O T; Sood, S; Shah, K A; Han, C; Rapozo, D; Mehanna, H; Winter, S C

2016-11-01

This study investigated long-term survival outcomes in surgically treated oropharyngeal cancer patients with known human papilloma virus status. A case note review was performed of all patients undergoing primary surgery for oropharyngeal cancer in a single centre over a 10-year period. Human papilloma virus status was determined via dual modality testing. Associations between clinicopathological variables and survival were identified using a log-rank test. Of the 107 cases in the study, 40 per cent (n = 41) were human papilloma virus positive. The positive and negative predictive values of p16 immunohistochemistry for human papilloma virus status were 57 per cent and 100 per cent, respectively. At a mean follow up of 59.5 months, 5-year overall and disease-specific survival estimates were 78 per cent and 69 per cent, respectively. Human papilloma virus status (p = 0.014), smoking status (p = 0.021) and tumour stage (p = 0.03) were significant prognostic indicators. The long-term survival rates in surgically treated oropharyngeal cancer patients were comparable to other studies. Variables including human papilloma virus status and tumour stage were associated with survival in patients treated with primary surgery; however, nodal stage and presence of extracapsular spread were non-prognostic.

The relationship between socio-economic status and cancer detection at screening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor-Phillips, Sian; Ogboye, Toyin; Hamborg, Tom; Kearins, Olive; O'Sullivan, Emma; Clarke, Aileen

2015-03-01

It is well known that socio-economic status is a strong predictor of screening attendance, with women of higher socioeconomic status more likely to attend breast cancer screening. We investigated whether socio-economic status was related to the detection of cancer at breast screening centres. In two separate projects we combined UK data from the population census, the screening information systems, and the cancer registry. Five years of data from all 81 screening centres in the UK was collected. Only women who had previously attended screening were included. The study was given ethical approval by the University of Warwick Biomedical Research Ethics committee reference SDR-232-07- 2012. Generalised linear models with a log-normal link function were fitted to investigate the relationship between predictors and the age corrected cancer detection rate at each centre. We found that screening centres serving areas with lower average socio-economic status had lower cancer detection rates, even after correcting for the age distribution of the population. This may be because there may be a correlation between higher socio-economic status and some risk factors for breast cancer such as nullparity (never bearing children). When applying adjustment for age, ethnicity and socioeconomic status of the population screened (rather than simply age) we found that SDR can change by up to 0.11.

Mismatch repair status in the prediction of benefit from adjuvant fluorouracil chemotherapy in colorectal cancer

PubMed Central

Jover, R; Zapater, P; Castells, A; Llor, X; Andreu, M; Cubiella, J; Piñol, V; Xicola, R M; Bujanda, L; Reñé, J M; Clofent, J; Bessa, X; Morillas, J D; Nicolás‐Pérez, D; Payá, A; Alenda, C

2006-01-01

Aim Some retrospective studies have shown a lack of benefit of 5‐fluorouracil (5‐FU) adjuvant chemotherapy in patients with mismatch repair (MMR) deficient colorectal cancer. Our aim was to assess if this molecular marker can predict benefit from 5‐FU adjuvant chemotherapy. A second objective was to determine if MMR status influences short term survival. Methods We included 754 patients with a median follow up of 728.5 days (range 1–1097). A total of 260 patients with stage II or III tumours received 5‐FU adjuvant chemotherapy, according to standard clinical criteria and irrespective of their MMR status. A tumour was considered MMR deficient when either BAT‐26 showed instability or there was loss of MLH1 or MSH2 protein expression. Results At the end of the follow up period, 206 patients died and 120 presented with tumour recurrence. Sixty six (8.8%) patients had MMR deficient tumours. There were no significant differences in overall survival (MMR competent 72.1%; MMR deficient 78.8%; p = 0.3) or disease free survival (MMR competent 61.3%; MMR deficient 72.3%; p = 0.08). In patients with stage II and III tumours, benefit from 5‐FU adjuvant chemotherapy was restricted to patients with MMR competent tumours (overall survival: chemotherapy 87.1%; non‐chemotherapy 73.5%; log rank, p = 0.00001). Patients with MMR deficient tumours did not benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy (overall survival: chemotherapy 89.5%; non‐chemotherapy 82.4%; log rank, p = 0.4). Conclusions Benefit from 5‐FU adjuvant chemotherapy depends on the MMR status of tumours in patients with colorectal cancer. 5‐FU adjuvant chemotherapy improves survival in patients with MMR competent tumours but this benefit from chemotherapy cannot be extended to patients with MMR deficient tumours. PMID:16299036

Twenty-year trends in cardiovascular risk factors in India and influence of educational status.

PubMed

Gupta, Rajeev; Guptha, Soneil; Gupta, V P; Agrawal, Aachu; Gaur, Kiran; Deedwania, Prakash C

2012-12-01

Urban middle-socioeconomic status (SES) subjects have high burden of cardiovascular risk factors in low-income countries. To determine secular trends in risk factors among this population and to correlate risks with educational status we performed epidemiological studies in India. Five cross-sectional studies were performed in middle-SES urban locations in Jaipur, India from years 1992 to 2010. Cluster sampling was performed. Subjects (men, women) aged 20-59 years evaluated were 712 (459, 253) in 1992-94, 558 (286, 272) in 1999-2001, 374 (179, 195) in 2002-03, 887 (414, 473) in 2004-05, and 530 (324, 206) in 2009-10. Data were obtained by history, anthropometry, and fasting blood glucose and lipids estimation. Response rates varied from 55 to 75%. Mean values and risk factor prevalence were determined. Secular trends were identified using quadratic and log-linear regression and chi-squared for trend. Across the studies, there was high prevalence of overweight, hypertension, and lipid abnormalities. Age- and sex-adjusted trends showed significant increases in mean body mass index (BMI), fasting glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides (quadratic and log-linear regression, p < 0.001). Systolic blood pressure (BP) decreased while insignificant changes were observed for waist-hip ratio and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Categorical trends showed increase in overweight and decrease in smoking (p < 0.05); insignificant changes were observed in truncal obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, and diabetes. Adjustment for educational status attenuated linear trends in BMI and total and LDL cholesterol and accentuated trends in systolic BP, glucose, and HDL cholesterol. There was significant association of an increase in education with decline in smoking and an increase in overweight (two-line regression p < 0.05). In Indian urban middle-SES subjects there is high prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. Over a 20-year period BMI and overweight increased, smoking and systolic BP decreased, and truncal obesity, hypercholesterolaemia, and diabetes remained stable. Increasing educational status attenuated trends for systolic BP, glucose and HDL cholesterol, and BMI.

One Way of Testing a Distributed Processor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edstrom, R.; Kleckner, D.

1982-01-01

Launch processing for Space Shuttle is checked out, controlled, and monitored with new system. Entire system can be exercised by two computer programs--one in master console and other in each of operations consoles. Control program in each operations console detects change in status and begins task initiation. All of front-end processors are exercised from consoles through common data buffer, and all data are logged to processed-data recorder for posttest analysis.

Multi-sensor Observations of the SpinSat Satellite

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-18

through the high-radiation environment of the South Atlantic Anomaly ( SAA ). SpinSat’s status logs indicate no reset occurred after the third and...Unfortunately, the combined scheduling constraints discussed above produced a pass sequence accompanied traversals through the SAA region. So in this...during SpinSat’s traversals through the SAA , the command sequence had to be uplinked again during a second pass (middle panel) at 2015-03-30 0602-0612 EST

SU-E-J-129: A Strategy to Consolidate the Image Database of a VERO Unit Into a Radiotherapy Management System

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

Yan, Y; Medin, P; Yordy, J

2014-06-01

Purpose: To present a strategy to integrate the imaging database of a VERO unit with a treatment management system (TMS) to improve clinical workflow and consolidate image data to facilitate clinical quality control and documentation. Methods: A VERO unit is equipped with both kV and MV imaging capabilities for IGRT treatments. It has its own imaging database behind a firewall. It has been a challenge to transfer images on this unit to a TMS in a radiation therapy clinic so that registered images can be reviewed remotely with an approval or rejection record. In this study, a software system, iPump-VERO,more » was developed to connect VERO and a TMS in our clinic. The patient database folder on the VERO unit was mapped to a read-only folder on a file server outside VERO firewall. The application runs on a regular computer with the read access to the patient database folder. It finds the latest registered images and fuses them in one of six predefined patterns before sends them via DICOM connection to the TMS. The residual image registration errors will be overlaid on the fused image to facilitate image review. Results: The fused images of either registered kV planar images or CBCT images are fully DICOM compatible. A sentinel module is built to sense new registered images with negligible computing resources from the VERO ExacTrac imaging computer. It takes a few seconds to fuse registered images and send them to the TMS. The whole process is automated without any human intervention. Conclusion: Transferring images in DICOM connection is the easiest way to consolidate images of various sources in your TMS. Technically the attending does not have to go to the VERO treatment console to review image registration prior delivery. It is a useful tool for a busy clinic with a VERO unit.« less

Telomere biology: cancer firewall or aging clock?

PubMed

Mitteldorf, J J

2013-09-01

It has been a decade since the first surprising discovery that longer telomeres in humans are statistically associated with longer life expectancies. Since then, it has been firmly established that telomere shortening imposes an individual fitness cost in a number of mammalian species, including humans. But telomere shortening is easily avoided by application of telomerase, an enzyme which is coded into nearly every eukaryotic genome, but whose expression is suppressed most of the time. This raises the question how the sequestration of telomerase might have evolved. The predominant assumption is that in higher organisms, shortening telomeres provide a firewall against tumor growth. A more straightforward interpretation is that telomere attrition provides an aging clock, reliably programming lifespans. The latter hypothesis is routinely rejected by most biologists because the benefit of programmed lifespan applies only to the community, and in fact the individual pays a substantial fitness cost. There is a long-standing skepticism that the concept of fitness can be applied on a communal level, and of group selection in general. But the cancer hypothesis is problematic as well. Animal studies indicate that there is a net fitness cost in sequestration of telomerase, even when cancer risk is lowered. The hypothesis of protection against cancer has never been tested in animals that actually limit telomerase expression, but only in mice, whose lifespans are not telomerase-limited. And human medical evidence suggests a net aggravation of cancer risk from the sequestration of telomerase, because cells with short telomeres are at high risk of neoplastic transformation, and they also secrete cytokines that exacerbate inflammation globally. The aging clock hypothesis fits well with what is known about ancestral origins of telomerase sequestration, and the prejudices concerning group selection are without merit. If telomeres are an aging clock, then telomerase makes an attractive target for medical technologies that seek to expand the human life- and health-spans.

Lack of security of networked medical equipment in radiology.

PubMed

Moses, Vinu; Korah, Ipeson

2015-02-01

OBJECTIVE. There are few articles in the literature describing the security and safety aspects of networked medical equipment in radiology departments. Most radiologists are unaware of the security issues. We review the security of the networked medical equipment of a typical radiology department. MATERIALS AND METHODS. All networked medical equipment in a radiology department was scanned for vulnerabilities with a port scanner and a network vulnerability scanner, and the vulnerabilities were classified using the Common Vulnerability Scoring System. A network sniffer was used to capture and analyze traffic on the radiology network for exposure of confidential patient data. We reviewed the use of antivirus software and firewalls on the networked medical equipment. USB ports and CD and DVD drives in the networked medical equipment were tested to see whether they allowed unauthorized access. Implementation of the virtual private network (VPN) that vendors use to access the radiology network was reviewed. RESULTS. Most of the networked medical equipment in our radiology department used vulnerable software with open ports and services. Of the 144 items scanned, 64 (44%) had at least one critical vulnerability, and 119 (83%) had at least one high-risk vulnerability. Most equipment did not encrypt traffic and allowed capture of confidential patient data. Of the 144 items scanned, two (1%) used antivirus software and three (2%) had a firewall enabled. The USB ports were not secure on 49 of the 58 (84%) items with USB ports, and the CD or DVD drive was not secure on 17 of the 31 (55%) items with a CD or DVD drive. One of three vendors had an insecure implementation of VPN access. CONCLUSION. Radiologists and the medical industry need to urgently review and rectify the security issues in existing networked medical equipment. We hope that the results of our study and this article also raise awareness among radiologists about the security issues of networked medical equipment.

An argument for using additional bedside tools, such as bedside ultrasound, for volume status assessment in hospitalized medical patients: a needs assessment survey.

PubMed

Low, David; Vlasschaert, Meghan; Novak, Kerri; Chee, Alex; Ma, Irene W Y

2014-11-01

The frequency at which housestaff need to assess volume status on medical inpatients is unknown. In this brief report, we invited 39 housestaff, over 13 randomly selected dates, to complete a 25-item survey. Participants (n = 31, 79%) logged a total of 455 hours, reporting 197 pages or telephone requests received regarding medical inpatients. Of these, 41 pages (21%) required a volume status assessment. Participants reported their volume status assessment competency to be moderate (median score = 3, interquartile range = 3 to 4, where 1 = not competent to perform independently and 6 = above average competence). In 9 of the 41 assessments (22%), at least 1 barrier was reported in determining volume status. The most commonly reported barriers were conflicting physical examination findings (n = 8, 20%) and suboptimal patient examination (n = 5, 12%). Over 20% of pages regarding admitted medical patients required volume status assessments by medical housestaff. Despite moderate self-reported competence in the ability to assess volume status, barriers such as conflicting physical examination findings and suboptimal patient examinations were present in up to 20% of assessments. Therefore, we urge educators to consider incorporating bedside ultrasound training for volume status into the internal medicine curriculum. © 2014 Society of Hospital Medicine.

Sensory acceptance and survival of probiotic bacteria in ice cream produced with different overrun levels.

PubMed

Ferraz, Juliana L; Cruz, Adriano G; Cadena, Rafael S; Freitas, Monica Q; Pinto, Uelinton M; Carvalho, Celio C; Faria, Jose A F; Bolini, Helena M A

2012-01-01

The effect of different overrun levels on the sensory acceptance and survival of probiotic bacteria in ice cream was investigated. Vanilla ice creams supplemented with Lactobacillus acidophilus were processed with overruns of 45%, 60%, and 90%. Viable probiotic bacterial counts and sensory acceptance were assessed. All the ice creams presented a minimum count of 6 log CFU/g at the end of 60 d of frozen storage. However, higher overrun levels negatively influenced cell viability, being reported a decrease of 2 log CFU/g for the 90% overrun treatment. In addition, it was not reported an influence about acceptability with respect to appearance, aroma, and taste of the ice creams (P > 0.05). Overall, the results suggest that lower overrun levels should be adopted during the manufacture of ice cream in order to maintain its probiotic status through the shelf life. © 2012 Institute of Food Technologists®

Challenges with Final Status Surveys at a Large Decommissioning Site - 13417

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

Downey, Heath; Collopy, Peter; Shephard, Eugene

2013-07-01

As part of decommissioning a former nuclear fuel manufacturing site, one of the crucial final steps is to conduct Final Status Surveys (FSS) in order to demonstrate compliance with the release criteria. At this decommissioning site, the area for FSS was about 100 hectares (248 acres) and included varying terrain, wooded areas, ponds, excavations, buildings and a brook. The challenges in performing the FSS included determining location, identifying FSS units, logging gamma walkover survey data, determining sample locations, managing water in excavations, and diverting water in the brook. The approaches taken to overcome these challenges will be presented in themore » paper. The paper will present and discuss lessons learned that will aid others in the FSS process. (authors)« less

The impact of conservation on the status of the world's vertebrates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoffmann, Michael; Hilton-Taylor, Craig; Angulo, Ariadne; Bohm, Monika; Brooks, Thomas M.; Butchart, Stuart H.M.; Carpenter, Kent E.; Chanson, Janice; Collen, Ben; Cox, Neil A.; Darwall, William R.T.; Dulvy, Nicholas K.; Harrison, Lucy R.; Katariya, Vineet; Pollock, Caroline M.; Quader, Suhel; Richman, Nadia I.; Rodrigues, Ana S.L.; Tognelli, Marcelo F.; Vie, Jean-Christophe; Aguiar, John M.; Allen, David J.; Allen, Gerald R.; Amori, Giovanni; Ananjeva, Natalia B.; Androene, Franco; Andrew, Paul; Ortiz, Aida Luz Aquino; Baillie, Jonathan E.M.; Baldi, Ricardo; Bell, Ben D.; Biju, S.D.; Bird, Jeremy P.; Black-Decima, Patricia; Blanc, J. Julian; Bolaños, Federico; Bolivar-G., Wilmar; Burfield, Ian J.; Burton, James A.; Capper, David R.; Castro, Fernando; Catullo, Gianluca; Cavanagh, Rachel D.; Channing, Alan; Chao, Ning Labbish; Chenery, Anna M.; Chiozza, Federica; Clausnitzer, Viola; Collar, Nigel J.; Collett, Leah C.; Collette, Bruce B.; Cortez Fernandez, Claudia F.; Craig, Matthew T.; Crosby, Michael J.; Cumberlidge, Neil; Cuttelod, Annabelle; Derocher, Andrew E.; Diesmos, Arvin C.; Donaldson, John S.; Duckworth, J.W.; Dutson, Guy; Dutta, S.K.; Emslie, Richard H.; Farjon, Aljos; Fowler, Sarah; Freyhof, Jorg; Garshelis, David L.; Gerlach, Justin; Gower, David J.; Grant, Tandora D.; Hammerson, Geoffrey A.; Harris, Richard B.; Heaney, Lawrence R.; Hedges, S. Blair; Hero, Jean-Marc; Hughes, Baz; Hussain, Syed Ainul; Icochea, Javier M.; Inger, Robert F.; Ishii, Nobuo; Iskandar, Djoko T.; Jenkins, Richard K.B.; Kaneko, Yoshio; Kottelat, Maurice; Kovacs, Kit M.; Kuzmin, Sergius L.; La Marca, Enrique; Lamoreux, John F.; Lau, Michael W.N.; Lavilla, Esteban O.; Leus, Kristin; Lewison, Rebecca L.; Lichtenstein, Gabriela; Livingstone, Suzanne R.; Lukoschek, Vimoksolehi; Mallon, David P.; McGowan, Philip J.K.; McIvor, Anna; Moehlman, Patricia D.; Molur, Sanjay; Alonso, Antonio Muñoz; Musick, John A.; Nowell, Kristin; Nussbaum, Ronald A.; Olech, Wanda; Orlov, Nikolay L.; Papenfuss, Theodore J.; Parra-Olea, Gabriela; Perrin, William F.; Polidoro, Beth A.; Pourkazemi, Mohammad; Racey, Paul A.; Ragle, James S.; Ram, Mala; Rathbun, Galen; Reynolds, Robert P.; Rhodin, Anders G.J.; Richards, Stephen J.; Rodriguez, Lily O.; Ron, Santiago R.; Rondinini, Carlo; Rylands, Anthony B.; de Mitcheson, Yvonne Sadovy; Sanciangco, Jonnell C.; Sanders, Kate L.; Santos-Barrera, Georgina; Schipper, Jan; Self-Sullivan, Caryn; Shi, Yichuan; Shoemaker, Alan; Short, Frederick T.; Sillero-Zubiri, Claudio; Silvano, Debora L.; Smith, Kevin G.; Smith, Andrew T.; Snoeks, Jos; Stattersfield, Alison J.; Symes, Andrew J.; Taber, Andrew B.; Talukdar, Bibhab K.; Temple, Helen J.; Timmins, Rob; Tobias, Joseph A.; Tsytsulina, Katerina; Tweddle, Denis; Ubeda, Carmen; Valenti, Sarah V.; van Dijk, Peter Paul; Veiga, Liza M.; Veloso, Alberto; Wege, David C.; Wilkinson, Mark; Williamson, Elizabeth A.; Xie, Feng; Young, Bruce E.; Akcakaya, H. Resit; Bennun, Leon; Blackburn, Tim M.; Boitani, Luigi; Dublin, Holly T.; da Fonseca, Gustavo A. B.; Gascon, Claude; Lacher, Thomas E.; Mace, Georgina M.; Mainka, Susan A.; McNeely, Jeffery A.; Mittermeier, Russell A.; Reid, Gordon McGregor; Rodriguez, Jon Paul; Rosenberg, Andrew A.; Samways, Michael J.; Smart, Jane; Stein, Bruce A.; Stuart, Simon N.

2010-01-01

Using data for 25,780 species categorized on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, we present an assessment of the status of the world's vertebrates. One-fifth of species are classified as Threatened, and we show that this figure is increasing: On average, 52 species of mammals, birds, and amphibians move one category closer to extinction each year. However, this overall pattern conceals the impact of conservation successes, and we show that the rate of deterioration would have been at least one-fifth again as much in the absence of these. Nonetheless, current conservation efforts remain insufficient to offset the main drivers of biodiversity loss in these groups: agricultural expansion, logging, overexploitation, and invasive alien species.

Sensorial status in patients with pure accomodative esotropia.

PubMed

Castro-Vite, O I; Vargas-Ortega, A J; Aguilar-Ruiz, A; Murillo-Correa, C E

2016-12-01

To evaluate the sensorial status in patients with pure accommodative esotropia. Ambispective study, patients with pure accommodative esotropia that were found in orthotropy when using its correction glasses were included. 67 patients were included, mean age was 3.68±1.28 years, the near and far ocular deviation was 19±8.8 PD and 18.71±10.61 PD respectively. The visual acuity in the right eye was 0.183 ±0.11 logMAR, in the left eye was 0.188±0.12 logMAR. The average spherical equivalent was +5.50 diopters, for the right eye was +5.46 ±1.61 diopters and for the left eye +5.71 v±1.6 diopters. The average AC/A ratio was 5.19±0.92 Δ/1. 90% of the patients had a grade of near stereopsis: 42% had stereopsis equal or better to 70 arc seconds and 81% had stereopsis equal or better to 400 arc seconds, having an average of 205 arc seconds. 85% of the patients had some grade of far stereopsis: 16% had stereopsis equal or better to 70 arc seconds and 66% had a stereopsis equal or better to 400 arc seconds, having an average of 334.9 arc seconds. There was not statistically significant correlation between the grade of deviation and the stereopsis when using its correction. This study has detected that the sensorial status is compromised even with adequate and appropriate treatment, nevertheless, there is a low frequency of amblyopia. Copyright © 2016 Sociedad Española de Oftalmología. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Simple prognostic model for patients with advanced cancer based on performance status.

PubMed

Jang, Raymond W; Caraiscos, Valerie B; Swami, Nadia; Banerjee, Subrata; Mak, Ernie; Kaya, Ebru; Rodin, Gary; Bryson, John; Ridley, Julia Z; Le, Lisa W; Zimmermann, Camilla

2014-09-01

Providing survival estimates is important for decision making in oncology care. The purpose of this study was to provide survival estimates for outpatients with advanced cancer, using the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG), Palliative Performance Scale (PPS), and Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) scales, and to compare their ability to predict survival. ECOG, PPS, and KPS were completed by physicians for each new patient attending the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre outpatient Oncology Palliative Care Clinic (OPCC) from April 2007 to February 2010. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method. The log-rank test for trend was employed to test for differences in survival curves for each level of performance status (PS), and the concordance index (C-statistic) was used to test the predictive discriminatory ability of each PS measure. Measures were completed for 1,655 patients. PS delineated survival well for all three scales according to the log-rank test for trend (P < .001). Survival was approximately halved for each worsening performance level. Median survival times, in days, for each ECOG level were: EGOG 0, 293; ECOG 1, 197; ECOG 2, 104; ECOG 3, 55; and ECOG 4, 25.5. Median survival times, in days, for PPS (and KPS) were: PPS/KPS 80-100, 221 (215); PPS/KPS 60 to 70, 115 (119); PPS/KPS 40 to 50, 51 (49); PPS/KPS 10 to 30, 22 (29). The C-statistic was similar for all three scales and ranged from 0.63 to 0.64. We present a simple tool that uses PS alone to prognosticate in advanced cancer, and has similar discriminatory ability to more complex models. Copyright © 2014 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Excess adiposity, inflammation, and iron-deficiency in female adolescents.

PubMed

Tussing-Humphreys, Lisa M; Liang, Huifang; Nemeth, Elizabeta; Freels, Sally; Braunschweig, Carol A

2009-02-01

Iron deficiency is more prevalent in overweight children and adolescents but the mechanisms that underlie this condition remain unclear. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to assess the relationship between iron status and excess adiposity, inflammation, menarche, diet, physical activity, and poverty status in female adolescents included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2004 dataset. Descriptive and simple comparative statistics (t test, chi(2)) were used to assess differences between normal-weight (5th < or = body mass index [BMI] percentile <85th) and heavier-weight girls (< or = 85th percentile for BMI) for demographic, biochemical, dietary, and physical activity variables. In addition, logistic regression analyses predicting iron deficiency and linear regression predicting serum iron levels were performed. Heavier-weight girls had an increased prevalence of iron deficiency compared to those with normal weight. Dietary iron, age of and time since first menarche, poverty status, and physical activity were similar between the two groups and were not independent predictors of iron deficiency or log serum iron levels. Logistic modeling predicting iron deficiency revealed having a BMI > or = 85th percentile and for each 1 mg/dL increase in C-reactive protein the odds ratio for iron deficiency more than doubled. The best-fit linear model to predict serum iron levels included both serum transferrin receptor and C-reactive protein following log-transformation for normalization of these variables. Findings indicate that heavier-weight female adolescents are at greater risk for iron deficiency and that inflammation stemming from excess adipose tissue contributes to this phenomenon. Food and nutrition professionals should consider elevated BMI as an additional risk factor for iron deficiency in female adolescents.

Familial associations with paratuberculosis ELISA results in Texas Longhorn cattle.

PubMed

Osterstock, Jason B; Fosgate, Geoffrey T; Cohen, Noah D; Derr, James N; Manning, Elizabeth J B; Collins, Michael T; Roussel, Allen J

2008-05-25

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to estimate familial associations with paratuberculosis ELISA status in beef cattle. Texas Longhorn cattle (n=715) greater than 2years of age were sampled for paratuberculosis testing using ELISA and fecal culture. Diagnostic test results were indicative of substantial numbers of false-positive serological reactions consistent with environmental exposure to non-MAP Mycobacterium spp. Associations between ancestors and paratuberculosis ELISA status of offspring were assessed using conditional logistic regression. The association between ELISA status of the dam and her offspring was assessed using linear mixed-effect models. Significant associations were identified between some ancestors and offspring ELISA status. The odds of being classified as "suspect" or greater based on ELISA results were 4.6 times greater for offspring of dams with similarly increased S:P ratios. A significant positive linear association was also observed between dam and offspring log-transformed S:P ratios. Results indicate that there is familial aggregation of paratuberculosis ELISA results in beef cattle and suggest that genetic selection based on paratuberculosis ELISA status may decrease seroprevalence. However, genetic selection may have minimal effect on paratuberculosis control in herds with exposure to non-MAP Mycobacterium spp.

Variation in markup of general surgical procedures by hospital market concentration.

PubMed

Cerullo, Marcelo; Chen, Sophia Y; Dillhoff, Mary; Schmidt, Carl R; Canner, Joseph K; Pawlik, Timothy M

2018-04-01

Increasing hospital market concentration (with concomitantly decreasing hospital market competition) may be associated with rising hospital prices. Hospital markup - the relative increase in price over costs - has been associated with greater hospital market concentration. Patients undergoing a cardiothoracic or gastrointestinal procedure in the 2008-2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) were identified and linked to Hospital Market Structure Files. The association between market concentration, hospital markup and hospital for-profit status was assessed using mixed-effects log-linear models. A weighted total of 1,181,936 patients were identified. In highly concentrated markets, private for-profit status was associated with an 80.8% higher markup compared to public/private not-for-profit status (95%CI: +69.5% - +96.9%; p < 0.001). However, private for-profit status in highly concentrated markets was associated with only a 62.9% higher markup compared to public/private not-for-profit status in unconcentrated markets (95%CI: +45.4% - +81.1%; p < 0.001). Hospital for-profit status modified the association between hospitals' market concentration and markup. Government and private not-for-profit hospitals employed lower markups in more concentrated markets, whereas private for-profit hospitals employed higher markups in more concentrated markets. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Towards an integrated defense system for cyber security situation awareness experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hanlin; Wei, Sixiao; Ge, Linqiang; Shen, Dan; Yu, Wei; Blasch, Erik P.; Pham, Khanh D.; Chen, Genshe

2015-05-01

In this paper, an implemented defense system is demonstrated to carry out cyber security situation awareness. The developed system consists of distributed passive and active network sensors designed to effectively capture suspicious information associated with cyber threats, effective detection schemes to accurately distinguish attacks, and network actors to rapidly mitigate attacks. Based on the collected data from network sensors, image-based and signals-based detection schemes are implemented to detect attacks. To further mitigate attacks, deployed dynamic firewalls on hosts dynamically update detection information reported from the detection schemes and block attacks. The experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed system. A future plan to design an effective defense system is also discussed based on system theory.

Making grandma's data secure: a security architecture for home telemedicine.

PubMed Central

Starren, J.; Sengupta, S.; Hripcsak, G.; Ring, G.; Klerer, R.; Shea, S.

2001-01-01

Home telemedicine presents special challenges for data security and privacy. Experience in the Informatics for Diabetes Education And Telemedicine (IDEATel) project has demonstrated that data security is not a one-size-fits-all problem. The IDEATel users include elderly patients in their homes, nurse case managers, physicians, and researchers. The project supports multiple computer systems that require a variety of user interactions, including: data entry, data review, patient education, videoconferencing, and electronic monitoring. To meet these various needs, a number of different of security solutions were utilized, including: UserID/Password, PKI certificates, time-based tokens, IP filtering, VPNs, symmetric and asymmetric encryption schemes, firewalls and dedicated connections. These were combined in different ways to meet the needs of each user groups. PMID:11825267

A Simple Technique for Securing Data at Rest Stored in a Computing Cloud

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sedayao, Jeff; Su, Steven; Ma, Xiaohao; Jiang, Minghao; Miao, Kai

"Cloud Computing" offers many potential benefits, including cost savings, the ability to deploy applications and services quickly, and the ease of scaling those application and services once they are deployed. A key barrier for enterprise adoption is the confidentiality of data stored on Cloud Computing Infrastructure. Our simple technique implemented with Open Source software solves this problem by using public key encryption to render stored data at rest unreadable by unauthorized personnel, including system administrators of the cloud computing service on which the data is stored. We validate our approach on a network measurement system implemented on PlanetLab. We then use it on a service where confidentiality is critical - a scanning application that validates external firewall implementations.

Do potential SETI signals need to be decontaminated?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carrigan, Richard A., Jr.

2006-01-01

Biological contamination from space samples is a remote but accepted possibility. Signals received by searches for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) could also contain harmful information in the spirit of a computer virus, the so-called "SETI Hacker" hypothesis. Over the last four decades extraterrestrial intelligence searches have given little consideration to this possibility. Some argue that information in an extraterrestrial signal could not attack a terrestrial computer because the computer logic and code is idiosyncratic and constitutes an impenetrable firewall. Suggestions are given on how to probe these arguments. Measures for decontaminating extraterrestrial intelligence signals (ETI) are discussed. Modifications to the current SETI detection protocol may be appropriate. Beyond that, the potential character of ETI message content requires much broader discussion.

Comparative efficacy of benthic biotic indices in assessing the Ecological Quality Status (EcoQS) of the stressed Ulhas estuary, India.

PubMed

Mulik, Jyoti; Sukumaran, Soniya; Srinivas, Tatiparthi; Vijapure, Tejal

2017-07-15

Ecostatus of Ulhas estuary, one of the most polluted estuaries along the industrialized and urbanized northwest coast of India, was evaluated by six widely accepted benthic indices viz. H'(log 2 ), AMBI, M-AMBI, BENTIX, BOPA and BO2A to test their efficiency in a tropical setting. The mesohaline zone, which presented eutrophic conditions, was classified as 'bad' by all indices due to the azoic status. Despite significant correlations obtained between indices, there were discrepancies in the accurate level of EcoQS assigned to each station. AMBI was observed to be most efficient in indicating a clear spatial variability from a 'poor' to 'bad' ecological quality status in the middle and upstream zones to an improved status in the downstream region. Limitations of all indices are discussed in light of their suitability for assessing the estuarine environmental condition. The present results could provide a fillip to environmental improvement initiatives currently being undertaken in the estuary. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Use of Information Technology for Management of U.S. Postal Service Facilities.

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-05-01

change closeout status, request for proposal log) Projected income and expenses of a U.S. Postal Service facility Direct capitalization model Tax...Unclassified 19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF ABSTRACT Unclassified 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 107 16. PRICE CODE 20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT UL NSN 7540-01...time and at the right price is a huge and complex job. In any one year, the USPS Facilities organization may acquire more than 100 sites, plan

Comparison of long-term results between laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy and open gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection for advanced gastric cancer.

PubMed

Hamabe, Atsushi; Omori, Takeshi; Tanaka, Koji; Nishida, Toshirou

2012-06-01

Laparoscopy-assisted gastrectomy (LAG) has been established as a low-invasive surgery for early gastric cancer. However, it remains unknown whether it is applicable also for advanced gastric cancer, mainly because the long-term results of LAG with D2 lymph node dissection for advanced gastric cancer have not been well validated compared with open gastrectomy (OG). A retrospective cohort study was performed to compare LAG and OG with D2 lymph node dissection. For this study, 167 patients (66 LAG and 101 OG patients) who underwent gastrectomy with D2 lymph node dissection for advanced gastric cancer were reviewed. Recurrence-free survival and overall survival time were estimated using Kaplan-Meier curves. Stratified log-rank statistical evaluation was used to compare the difference between the LAG and OG groups stratified by histologic type, pathologic T status, N status, and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. The adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to calculate the hazard ratios (HRs) of LAG. The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 89.6% in the LAG group and 75.8% in the OG group (nonsignificant difference; stratified log-rank statistic, 3.11; P = 0.0777). The adjusted HR of recurrence for LAG compared with OG was 0.389 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.131-1.151]. The 5-year overall survival rate was 94.4% in the LAG group and 78.5% in the OG group (nonsignificant difference; stratified log-rank statistic, 0.4817; P = 0.4877). The adjusted HR of death for LAG compared with OG was 0.633 (95% CI 0.172-2.325). The findings show that LAG with D2 lymph node dissection is acceptable in terms of long-term results for advanced gastric cancer cases and may be applicable for advanced gastric cancer treatment.

A urinary metabolite of phenanthrene as a biomarker of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon metabolic activation in workers exposed to residual oil fly ash.

PubMed

Kim, Jee Young; Hecht, Stephen S; Mukherjee, Sutapa; Carmella, Steven G; Rodrigues, Ema G; Christiani, David C

2005-03-01

Residual oil fly ash is a chemically complex combustion product containing a significant component of potentially carcinogenic transition metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). Various biomarkers of PAH exposure have been investigated previously, most notably 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP), in urine. In this study, we assessed the utility of r-1,t-2,3,c-4-tetrahydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydrophenanthrene (trans, anti-PheT), a metabolite of phenanthrene, to detect occupational PAH exposure. Urine samples collected across the workweek were analyzed for 1-OHP and trans, anti-PheT in boilermakers (n = 20) exposed to residual oil fly ash. Median baseline urinary trans, anti-PheT concentrations were 0.50 microg/g creatinine in current tobacco smokers and 0.39 microg/g creatinine in nonsmokers. Median baseline urinary 1-OHP concentrations in smokers and nonsmokers were 0.31 and 0.13 microg/g creatinine, respectively. To study further the effect of smoking exposure on the urinary PAH markers, urinary cotinine was used. Although urinary trans, anti-PheT and 1-OHP concentrations were correlated (Spearman r = 0.63; P < 0.001) for all subjects, the regression coefficient between log-transformed trans, anti-PheT and log 1-OHP was statistically significant only for subjects with low levels of urinary cotinine or for nonsmokers. Each 1-unit increase in log 1-OHP was associated with a 0.77-unit increase (95% confidence interval, 0.45-1.09) in log trans, anti-PheT in subjects with low levels of urinary cotinine (P < 0.001). In these subjects, dichotomized occupational exposure status was a significant predictor of log trans, anti-PheT (P = 0.02) but not of log 1-OHP (P = 0.2). In conclusion, we found that urinary trans, anti-PheT was detected in levels comparable with 1-OHP in occupationally exposed workers, particularly nonsmokers. This study shows that urinary trans, anti-PheT may be an effective biomarker of uptake and metabolic activation of PAHs.

Decision support using anesthesia information management system records and accreditation council for graduate medical education case logs for resident operating room assignments.

PubMed

Wanderer, Jonathan P; Charnin, Jonathan; Driscoll, William D; Bailin, Michael T; Baker, Keith

2013-08-01

Our goal in this study was to develop decision support systems for resident operating room (OR) assignments using anesthesia information management system (AIMS) records and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) case logs and evaluate the implementations. We developed 2 Web-based systems: an ACGME case-log visualization tool, and Residents Helping in Navigating OR Scheduling (Rhinos), an interactive system that solicits OR assignment requests from residents and creates resident profiles. Resident profiles are snapshots of the cases and procedures each resident has done and were derived from AIMS records and ACGME case logs. A Rhinos pilot was performed for 6 weeks on 2 clinical services. One hundred sixty-five requests were entered and used in OR assignment decisions by a single attending anesthesiologist. Each request consisted of a rank ordered list of up to 3 ORs. Residents had access to detailed information about these cases including surgeon and patient name, age, procedure type, and admission status. Success rates at matching resident requests were determined by comparing requests with AIMS records. Of the 165 requests, 87 first-choice matches (52.7%), 27 second-choice matches (16.4%), and 8 third-choice matches (4.8%) were made. Forty-three requests were unmatched (26.1%). Thirty-nine first-choice requests overlapped (23.6%). Full implementation followed on 8 clinical services for 8 weeks. Seven hundred fifty-four requests were reviewed by 15 attending anesthesiologists, with 339 first-choice matches (45.0%), 122 second-choice matches (16.2%), 55 third-choice matches (7.3%), and 238 unmatched (31.5%). There were 279 overlapping first-choice requests (37.0%). The overall combined match success rate was 69.4%. Separately, we developed an ACGME case-log visualization tool that allows individual resident experiences to be compared against case minimums as well as resident peer groups. We conclude that it is feasible to use ACGME case-log data in decision support systems for informing resident OR assignments. Additional analysis will be necessary to assess the educational impact of these systems.

A Matched Case-Control Study on Open and Endovascular Treatment of Popliteal Artery Aneurysms.

PubMed

Dorigo, W; Fargion, A; Masciello, F; Piffaretti, G; Pratesi, G; Giacomelli, E; Pratesi, C

2018-01-01

To compare early and late results of open and endovascular management of popliteal artery aneurysm in a retrospective single-center matched case-control study Methods: From 1981 to 2015, 309 consecutive interventions for popliteal artery aneurysm were performed in our institution, in 59 cases with endovascular repair and in 250 cases with open repair. Endovascular repair was preferred in older asymptomatic patients, while open repair was offered more frequently to patients with a thrombosed popliteal artery aneurysm and a poor run-off status. A one-to-one coarsened exact matching on the basis of the baseline demographic, clinical, and anatomical covariates significantly different between the two treatment options was performed and two equivalent groups of 56 endovascular repairs and open repairs were generated. The two groups were compared in terms of perioperative results with χ 2 test and of follow-up outcomes with the Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test. There were no differences between the two groups in terms of perioperative outcomes. Median duration of follow-up was 38 months. Five-year survival rates were 94% in endovascular repair group and 89.5% in open repair group (p = 0.4, log-rank 0.6). Primary patency rates at 1, 3, and 5 years were 81%, 78%, and 72% in endovascular repair group and 82.5%, 80%, and 64% in open repair group (p = 0.8, log-rank 0.01). Freedom from reintervention at 5 years was 65.5% in endovascular repair group and 76% in open repair group (p = 0.2, log-rank 1.2). Secondary patency at 1, 3, and 5 years was 94%, 86%, and 74% in endovascular repair group, and 94%, 89%, and 71% in open repair group, respectively (p = 0.9, log-rank 0.01). The rates of limb preservation at 5 years were 94% in endovascular repair group and 86.4% in open repair group (p = 0.3, log-rank 0.8). Open repair and endovascular repair of popliteal artery aneurysms provided in this retrospective single-center experience similar perioperative and follow-up results in equivalent groups of patients.

Fishery stock assessment of Kiddi shrimp ( Parapenaeopsis stylifera) in the Northern Arabian Sea Coast of Pakistan by using surplus production models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohsin, Muhammad; Mu, Yongtong; Memon, Aamir Mahmood; Kalhoro, Muhammad Talib; Shah, Syed Baber Hussain

2017-07-01

Pakistani marine waters are under an open access regime. Due to poor management and policy implications, blind fishing is continued which may result in ecological as well as economic losses. Thus, it is of utmost importance to estimate fishery resources before harvesting. In this study, catch and effort data, 1996-2009, of Kiddi shrimp Parapenaeopsis stylifera fishery from Pakistani marine waters was analyzed by using specialized fishery software in order to know fishery stock status of this commercially important shrimp. Maximum, minimum and average capture production of P. stylifera was observed as 15 912 metric tons (mt) (1997), 9 438 mt (2009) and 11 667 mt/a. Two stock assessment tools viz. CEDA (catch and effort data analysis) and ASPIC (a stock production model incorporating covariates) were used to compute MSY (maximum sustainable yield) of this organism. In CEDA, three surplus production models, Fox, Schaefer and Pella-Tomlinson, along with three error assumptions, log, log normal and gamma, were used. For initial proportion (IP) 0.8, the Fox model computed MSY as 6 858 mt (CV=0.204, R 2 =0.709) and 7 384 mt (CV=0.149, R 2 =0.72) for log and log normal error assumption respectively. Here, gamma error produced minimization failure. Estimated MSY by using Schaefer and Pella-Tomlinson models remained the same for log, log normal and gamma error assumptions i.e. 7 083 mt, 8 209 mt and 7 242 mt correspondingly. The Schafer results showed highest goodness of fit R 2 (0.712) values. ASPIC computed MSY, CV, R 2, F MSY and B MSY parameters for the Fox model as 7 219 mt, 0.142, 0.872, 0.111 and 65 280, while for the Logistic model the computed values remained 7 720 mt, 0.148, 0.868, 0.107 and 72 110 correspondingly. Results obtained have shown that P. stylifera has been overexploited. Immediate steps are needed to conserve this fishery resource for the future and research on other species of commercial importance is urgently needed.

Clinical Manifestations and Outcome of Syphilitic Uveitis.

PubMed

Bollemeijer, Jan G; Wieringa, Wietse G; Missotten, Tom O A R; Meenken, Ina; ten Dam-van Loon, Ninette H; Rothova, Aniki; Los, Leonoor I

2016-02-01

To analyze visual outcome, effectiveness of various modes of antibiotic treatment, and prognostic factors in patients with serologically proven syphilitic uveitis. The clinical records of 85 patients (139 eyes) diagnosed with syphilitic uveitis between 1984 and 2013 at tertiary centers in The Netherlands were retrospectively analyzed. Mean age was 47 years (range, 27-73 years), 82.4% were male. HIV positivity was found in 28 (35.9%) patients; 13 were newly diagnosed. Most patients had pan (45.9%) or posterior (31.8%) uveitis. On average, logMAR visual acuity (VA) improved significantly from 0.55 at the start of syphilis treatment to 0.34 at 1 month and to 0.27 at 6 months follow-up. Most patients (86.7%) reached disease remission. No differences in efficacy between the various treatment regimens were found. A high logMAR VA at the start of syphilis treatment and a treatment delay of more than 12 weeks were prognostic for a high logMAR VA at 6 months follow-up. Chronicity was not related to any form of treatment, HIV status, or Venereal Disease Research Laboratory test outcome. In this large cohort of 85 patients with syphilitic uveitis, visual outcomes were favorable in the majority of cases. Visual outcome was dependent on VA at the start of syphilis treatment and treatment delay.

The experiences of undergraduate nursing students with bots in Second LifeRTM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rose, Lesele H.

As technology continues to transform education from the status quo of traditional lecture-style instruction to an interactive engaging learning experience, students' experiences within the learning environment continues to change as well. This dissertation addressed the need for continuing research in advancing implementation of technology in higher education. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover more about the experiences of undergraduate nursing students using standardized geriatric evaluation tools when interacting with scripted geriatric patient bots tools in a simulated instructional intake setting. Data was collected through a Demographics questionnaire, an Experiential questionnaire, and a Reflection questionnaire. Triangulation of data collection occurred through an automatically created log of the interactions with the two bots, and by an automatically recorded log of the participants' movements while in the simulated geriatric intake interview. The data analysis consisted of an iterative review of the questionnaires and the participants' logs in an effort to identify common themes, recurring comments, and issues which would benefit from further exploration. Findings revealed that the interactions with the bots were perceived as a valuable experience for the participants from the perspective of interacting with the Geriatric Evaluation Tools in the role of an intake nurse. Further research is indicated to explore instructional interactions with bots in effectively mastering the use of established Geriatric Evaluation Tools.

Association between physical activity and kidney function: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

PubMed

Hawkins, Marquis S; Sevick, Mary Ann; Richardson, Caroline R; Fried, Linda F; Arena, Vincent C; Kriska, Andrea M

2011-08-01

Chronic kidney disease is a condition characterized by the deterioration of the kidney's ability to remove waste products from the body. Although treatments to slow the progression of the disease are available, chronic kidney disease may eventually lead to a complete loss of kidney function. Previous studies have shown that physical activities of moderate intensity may have renal benefits. Few studies have examined the effects of total movement on kidney function. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between time spent at all levels of physical activity intensity and sedentary behavior and kidney function. Data were obtained from the 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a cross-sectional study of a complex, multistage probability sample of the US population. Physical activity was assessed using an accelerometer and questionnaire. Glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was estimated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease study formula. To assess linear associations between levels of physical activity and sedentary behavior with log-transformed estimated GFR (eGFR), linear regression was used. In general, physical activity (light and total) was related to log eGFR in females and males. For females, the association between light and total physical activity with log eGFR was consistent regardless of diabetes status. For males, the association between light and total physical activity and log eGFR was only significant in males without diabetes. When examining the association between physical activity, measured objectively with an accelerometer, and kidney function, total and light physical activities were found to be positively associated with kidney function.

Differences in Bordetella pertussis DNA load according to clinical and epidemiological characteristics of patients with whooping cough.

PubMed

Brotons, Pedro; de Paz, Hector D; Toledo, Diana; Villanova, Marta; Plans, Pedro; Jordan, Iolanda; Dominguez, Angela; Jane, Mireia; Godoy, Pere; Muñoz-Almagro, Carmen

2016-04-01

To identify associations between nasopharyngeal Bordetella pertussis DNA load and clinical and epidemiological characteristics and evaluate DNA load prognostic value in pertussis severity. Prospective observational multi-centre study including nasopharyngeal samples positive to pertussis DNA by real-time PCR collected from children and adult patients in more than 200 health centres of Catalonia (Spain) during 2012-2013. B. pertussis load was inversely correlated with age (rho = -0.32, p < 0.001), time to diagnosis (rho = -0.33, p < 0.001) and number of symptoms (rho = 0.13, p = 0.002). Median bacterial load was significantly higher in inpatients versus outpatients (4.91 vs. 2.55 log10 CFU/mL, p < 0.001), patients with complications versus those without (6.05 vs. 2.82 log10 CFU/mL, p < 0.001), disease incidence in summer and autumn versus spring and winter (3.50 vs. 2.21 log10 CFU/mL, p = 0.002), and unvaccinated-partially vaccinated patients versus vaccinated (4.20 vs. 2.76 log10 CFU/mL, p = 0.004). A logistic regression model including bacterial load and other candidate prognostic factors showed good prediction for hospital care (AUC = 0.94) although only age and unvaccinated status were found to be prognostic factors. We observed strong positive associations of nasopharyngeal bacterial load with severity outcomes of hospitalisation and occurrence of complications. Bacterial load and other independent variables contributed to an accurate prognostic model for hospitalisation. Copyright © 2016 The British Infection Association. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Study of the quality characteristics in cold-smoked salmon (Salmo salar) originating from pre- or post-rigor raw material.

PubMed

Birkeland, S; Akse, L

2010-01-01

Improved slaughtering procedures in the salmon industry have caused a delayed onset of rigor mortis and, thus, a potential for pre-rigor secondary processing. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of rigor status at time of processing on quality traits color, texture, sensory, microbiological, in injection salted, and cold-smoked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Injection of pre-rigor fillets caused a significant (P<0.001) contraction (-7.9%± 0.9%) on the caudal-cranial axis. No significant differences in instrumental color (a*, b*, C*, or h*), texture (hardness), or sensory traits (aroma, color, taste, and texture) were observed between pre- or post-rigor processed fillets; however, post-rigor (1477 ± 38 g) fillets had a significant (P>0.05) higher fracturability than pre-rigor fillets (1369 ± 71 g). Pre-rigor fillets were significantly (P<0.01) lighter, L*, (39.7 ± 1.0) than post-rigor fillets (37.8 ± 0.8) and had significantly lower (P<0.05) aerobic plate count (APC), 1.4 ± 0.4 log CFU/g against 2.6 ± 0.6 log CFU/g, and psychrotrophic count (PC), 2.1 ± 0.2 log CFU/g against 3.0 ± 0.5 log CFU/g, than post-rigor processed fillets. This study showed that similar quality characteristics can be obtained in cold-smoked products processed either pre- or post-rigor when using suitable injection salting protocols and smoking techniques. © 2010 Institute of Food Technologists®

Log-Linear Modeling of Agreement among Expert Exposure Assessors

PubMed Central

Hunt, Phillip R.; Friesen, Melissa C.; Sama, Susan; Ryan, Louise; Milton, Donald

2015-01-01

Background: Evaluation of expert assessment of exposure depends, in the absence of a validation measurement, upon measures of agreement among the expert raters. Agreement is typically measured using Cohen’s Kappa statistic, however, there are some well-known limitations to this approach. We demonstrate an alternate method that uses log-linear models designed to model agreement. These models contain parameters that distinguish between exact agreement (diagonals of agreement matrix) and non-exact associations (off-diagonals). In addition, they can incorporate covariates to examine whether agreement differs across strata. Methods: We applied these models to evaluate agreement among expert ratings of exposure to sensitizers (none, likely, high) in a study of occupational asthma. Results: Traditional analyses using weighted kappa suggested potential differences in agreement by blue/white collar jobs and office/non-office jobs, but not case/control status. However, the evaluation of the covariates and their interaction terms in log-linear models found no differences in agreement with these covariates and provided evidence that the differences observed using kappa were the result of marginal differences in the distribution of ratings rather than differences in agreement. Differences in agreement were predicted across the exposure scale, with the likely moderately exposed category more difficult for the experts to differentiate from the highly exposed category than from the unexposed category. Conclusions: The log-linear models provided valuable information about patterns of agreement and the structure of the data that were not revealed in analyses using kappa. The models’ lack of dependence on marginal distributions and the ease of evaluating covariates allow reliable detection of observational bias in exposure data. PMID:25748517

Data management and database framework for the MICE experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martyniak, J.; Nebrensky, J. J.; Rajaram, D.; MICE Collaboration

2017-10-01

The international Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE) currently operating at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in the UK, is designed to demonstrate the principle of muon ionization cooling for application to a future Neutrino Factory or Muon Collider. We present the status of the framework for the movement and curation of both raw and reconstructed data. A raw data-mover has been designed to safely upload data files onto permanent tape storage as soon as they have been written out. The process has been automated, and checks have been built in to ensure the integrity of data at every stage of the transfer. The data processing framework has been recently redesigned in order to provide fast turnaround of reconstructed data for analysis. The automated reconstruction is performed on a dedicated machine in the MICE control room and any reprocessing is done at Tier-2 Grid sites. In conjunction with this redesign, a new reconstructed-data-mover has been designed and implemented. We also review the implementation of a robust database system that has been designed for MICE. The processing of data, whether raw or Monte Carlo, requires accurate knowledge of the experimental conditions. MICE has several complex elements ranging from beamline magnets to particle identification detectors to superconducting magnets. A Configuration Database, which contains information about the experimental conditions (magnet currents, absorber material, detector calibrations, etc.) at any given time has been developed to ensure accurate and reproducible simulation and reconstruction. A fully replicated, hot-standby database system has been implemented with a firewall-protected read-write master running in the control room, and a read-only slave running at a different location. The actual database is hidden from end users by a Web Service layer, which provides platform and programming language-independent access to the data.

Air-sea exchange and gas-particle partitioning of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons over the northwestern Pacific Ocean: Role of East Asian continental outflow.

PubMed

Wu, Zilan; Lin, Tian; Li, Zhongxia; Jiang, Yuqing; Li, Yuanyuan; Yao, Xiaohong; Gao, Huiwang; Guo, Zhigang

2017-11-01

We measured 15 parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in atmosphere and water during a research cruise from the East China Sea (ECS) to the northwestern Pacific Ocean (NWP) in the spring of 2015 to investigate the occurrence, air-sea gas exchange, and gas-particle partitioning of PAHs with a particular focus on the influence of East Asian continental outflow. The gaseous PAH composition and identification of sources were consistent with PAHs from the upwind area, indicating that the gaseous PAHs (three-to five-ring PAHs) were influenced by upwind land pollution. In addition, air-sea exchange fluxes of gaseous PAHs were estimated to be -54.2-107.4 ng m -2 d -1 , and was indicative of variations of land-based PAH inputs. The logarithmic gas-particle partition coefficient (logK p ) of PAHs regressed linearly against the logarithmic subcooled liquid vapor pressure (logP L 0 ), with a slope of -0.25. This was significantly larger than the theoretical value (-1), implying disequilibrium between the gaseous and particulate PAHs over the NWP. The non-equilibrium of PAH gas-particle partitioning was shielded from the volatilization of three-ring gaseous PAHs from seawater and lower soot concentrations in particular when the oceanic air masses prevailed. Modeling PAH absorption into organic matter and adsorption onto soot carbon revealed that the status of PAH gas-particle partitioning deviated more from the modeling K p for oceanic air masses than those for continental air masses, which coincided with higher volatilization of three-ring PAHs and confirmed the influence of air-sea exchange. Meanwhile, significant linear regressions between logK p and logK oa (logK sa ) for PAHs were observed for continental air masses, suggesting the dominant effect of East Asian continental outflow on atmospheric PAHs over the NWP during the sampling campaign. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Communist China’s National Strategy in Latin America

DTIC Science & Technology

1966-04-08

11HJ illllU THIS PAPER IS AN INDIVIDUAL EFFORT ON THE PART OF A STUDENT AT THE US ARMY WAR COLLEGE. IT IS FURNISHED WITHOUT...THE COMMANDANT, US ARMY WAR COLLEGE. » + **»»»****»**»* pwniinimmi»i»»iHii US ARMY WAR COLLEGE, CARLISLE BARRACKS, PENNSYLVANIA AWC LOG # Copy No...her great power status. For the ultimate enemy of Red China is US imperialism, and Latin America lies on the immediate flank of its core. As

Very Massive Stars in the Primitive Galaxy, IZw 18

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heap, Sara

2012-01-01

IZw 18 is a local blue, compact dwarf galaxy that meets the requirements for a primitive galaxy: low halo mass greater than 10(exp 9) Msun, strong photoionizing radiation, no galactic outflow, and very low metallicity,log(O/H)+12=7.2. We will describe the properties and evolutionary status of very massive stars in IZw 18, based on UV photometry of individual stars in I Zw 18 and analysis of unresolved ultraviolet spectra of IZw 18-NW obtained with HST.

Systematic review using meta-analyses to estimate dose-response relationships between iodine intake and biomarkers of iodine status in different population groups.

PubMed

Ristić-Medić, Danijela; Dullemeijer, Carla; Tepsić, Jasna; Petrović-Oggiano, Gordana; Popović, Tamara; Arsić, Aleksandra; Glibetić, Marija; Souverein, Olga W; Collings, Rachel; Cavelaars, Adriënne; de Groot, Lisette; van't Veer, Pieter; Gurinović, Mirjana

2014-03-01

The objective of this systematic review was to identify studies investigating iodine intake and biomarkers of iodine status, to assess the data of the selected studies, and to estimate dose-response relationships using meta-analysis. All randomized controlled trials, prospective cohort studies, nested case-control studies, and cross-sectional studies that supplied or measured dietary iodine and measured iodine biomarkers were included. The overall pooled regression coefficient (β) and the standard error of β were calculated by random-effects meta-analysis on a double-log scale, using the calculated intake-status regression coefficient (β) for each individual study. The results of pooled randomized controlled trials indicated that the doubling of dietary iodine intake increased urinary iodine concentrations by 14% in children and adolescents, by 57% in adults and the elderly, and by 81% in pregnant women. The dose-response relationship between iodine intake and biomarkers of iodine status indicated a 12% decrease in thyroid-stimulating hormone and a 31% decrease in thyroglobulin in pregnant women. The model of dose-response quantification used to describe the relationship between iodine intake and biomarkers of iodine status may be useful for providing complementary evidence to support recommendations for iodine intake in different population groups.

[Security aspects on the Internet].

PubMed

Seibel, R M; Kocher, K; Landsberg, P

2000-04-01

Is it possible to use the Internet as a secure media for transport of telemedicine? Which risks exist for routine use? In this article state of the art methods of security were analysed. Telemedicine in the Internet has severe risks, because patient data and hospital data of a secure Intranet can be manipulated by connecting it to the Web. Establishing of a firewall and the introduction of HPC (Health Professional Card) are minimizing the risk of un-authorized access to the hospital server. HPC allows good safety with digital signature and authentication of host and client of medical data. For secure e-mail PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) is easy to use as a standard protocol. Planning all activities exactly as well as following legal regulations are important requisites for reduction of safety risks in Internet.

Hybrid Intrusion Forecasting Framework for Early Warning System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sehun; Shin, Seong-Jun; Kim, Hyunwoo; Kwon, Ki Hoon; Han, Younggoo

Recently, cyber attacks have become a serious hindrance to the stability of Internet. These attacks exploit interconnectivity of networks, propagate in an instant, and have become more sophisticated and evolutionary. Traditional Internet security systems such as firewalls, IDS and IPS are limited in terms of detecting recent cyber attacks in advance as these systems respond to Internet attacks only after the attacks inflict serious damage. In this paper, we propose a hybrid intrusion forecasting system framework for an early warning system. The proposed system utilizes three types of forecasting methods: time-series analysis, probabilistic modeling, and data mining method. By combining these methods, it is possible to take advantage of the forecasting technique of each while overcoming their drawbacks. Experimental results show that the hybrid intrusion forecasting method outperforms each of three forecasting methods.

Automotive Insulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

Under a Space Act Agreement between Boeing North America and BSR Products, Space Shuttle Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials are now used to insulate race cars. BSR has created special TPS blanket insulation kits for use on autos that take part in NASCAR events, and other race cars through its nationwide catalog distribution system. Temperatures inside a race car's cockpit can soar to a sweltering 140 to 160 degrees, with the extreme heat coming through the engine firewall, transmission tunnel, and floor. It is common for NASCAR drivers to endure blisters and burns due to the excessive heat. Tests on a car insulated with the TPS material showed a temperature drop of some 50 degrees in the driver's cockpit. BSR-TPS Products, Inc. now manufactures insulation kits for distribution to race car teams around the world.

MDPHnet: Secure, Distributed Sharing of Electronic Health Record Data for Public Health Surveillance, Evaluation, and Planning

PubMed Central

Vogel, Joshua; Brown, Jeffrey S.; Land, Thomas; Platt, Richard

2014-01-01

Electronic health record systems contain clinically detailed data from large populations of patients that could significantly enrich public health surveillance. Clinical practices’ security, privacy, and proprietary concerns, however, have limited their willingness to share these data with public health agencies. We describe a novel distributed network for public health surveillance called MDPHnet. The system allows the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) to initiate custom queries against participating practices’ electronic health records while the data remain behind each practice’s firewall. Practices can review proposed queries before execution and approve query results before releasing them to the health department. MDPH is using the system for routine surveillance for priority conditions and to evaluate the impact of public health interventions. PMID:25322301

Remote secure observing for the Faulkes Telescopes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Robert J.; Steele, Iain A.; Marchant, Jonathan M.; Fraser, Stephen N.; Mucke-Herzberg, Dorothea

2004-09-01

Since the Faulkes Telescopes are to be used by a wide variety of audiences, both powerful engineering level and simple graphical interfaces exist giving complete remote and robotic control of the telescope over the internet. Security is extremely important to protect the health of both humans and equipment. Data integrity must also be carefully guarded for images being delivered directly into the classroom. The adopted network architecture is described along with the variety of security and intrusion detection software. We use a combination of SSL, proxies, IPSec, and both Linux iptables and Cisco IOS firewalls to ensure only authenticated and safe commands are sent to the telescopes. With an eye to a possible future global network of robotic telescopes, the system implemented is capable of scaling linearly to any moderate (of order ten) number of telescopes.

Lowering industry firewalls: pre-competitive informatics initiatives in drug discovery.

PubMed

Barnes, Michael R; Harland, Lee; Foord, Steven M; Hall, Matthew D; Dix, Ian; Thomas, Scott; Williams-Jones, Bryn I; Brouwer, Cory R

2009-09-01

Pharmaceutical research and development is facing substantial challenges that have prompted the industry to shift funding from early- to late-stage projects. Among the effects is a major change in the attitude of many companies to their internal bioinformatics resources: the focus has moved from the vigorous pursuit of intellectual property towards exploration of pre-competitive cross-industry collaborations and engagement with the public domain. High-quality, open and accessible data are the foundation of pre-competitive research, and strong public-private partnerships have considerable potential to enhance public data resources, which would benefit everyone engaged in drug discovery. In this article, we discuss the background to these changes and propose new areas of collaboration in computational biology and chemistry between the public domain and the pharmaceutical industry.

Evaluation of sanitizing efficacy of acetic acid on Piper betle leaves and its effect on antioxidant properties.

PubMed

Singla, Richu; Ganguli, Abhijit; Ghosh, Moushumi; Sohal, Sapna

2009-01-01

The sanitizing efficacy of acetic acid and its effect on health beneficial properties of Piper betle leaves were determined. Betel leaves artificially inoculated with Aeromonas, Salmonella and Yersinia were subjected to organic acid (citric acid, acetic acid and lactic acid) treatment. Pathogen populations reduced by 4 log upon individual inoculation and up to 2 log in a mixed cocktail following treatment with 2% acetic acid during storage up to 20 h at 28 degrees C, indicating a residual antimicrobial effect on pathogen during storage. Antioxidant potential ethanolic extracts of both raw and treated P. betle leaves were assayed for free radical scavenging activities against 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl. Polyphenols, flavonoids and the reducing power of treated and untreated P. betle were also compared. No significant (P>0.05) changes were observed in antioxidant status; flavonoids, polyphenols and reducing power of treated betel leaves. Results indicate the feasibility of a simple intervention strategy for inactivating pathogens in edible leaves of P. betle.

Enhancing DSN Operations Efficiency with the Discrepancy Reporting Management System (DRMS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chatillon, Mark; Lin, James; Cooper, Tonja M.

2003-01-01

The DRMS is the Discrepancy Reporting Management System used by the Deep Space Network (DSN). It uses a web interface and is a management tool designed to track and manage: data outage incidents during spacecraft tracks against equipment and software known as DRs (discrepancy Reports), to record "out of pass" incident logs against equipment and software in a Station Log, to record instances where equipment has be restarted or reset as Reset records, and to electronically record equipment readiness status across the DSN. Tracking and managing these items increases DSN operational efficiency by providing: the ability to establish the operational history of equipment items, data on the quality of service provided to the DSN customers, the ability to measure service performance, early insight into processes, procedures and interfaces that may need updating or changing, and the capability to trace a data outage to a software or hardware change. The items listed above help the DSN to focus resources on areas of most need.

DNA Damage Response and Repair Gene Alterations Are Associated with Improved Survival in Patients with Platinum-Treated Advanced Urothelial Carcinoma.

PubMed

Teo, Min Yuen; Bambury, Richard M; Zabor, Emily C; Jordan, Emmet; Al-Ahmadie, Hikmat; Boyd, Mariel E; Bouvier, Nancy; Mullane, Stephanie A; Cha, Eugene K; Roper, Nitin; Ostrovnaya, Irina; Hyman, David M; Bochner, Bernard H; Arcila, Maria E; Solit, David B; Berger, Michael F; Bajorin, Dean F; Bellmunt, Joaquim; Iyer, Gopakumar; Rosenberg, Jonathan E

2017-07-15

Purpose: Platinum-based chemotherapy remains the standard treatment for advanced urothelial carcinoma by inducing DNA damage. We hypothesize that somatic alterations in DNA damage response and repair (DDR) genes are associated with improved sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy. Experimental Design: Patients with diagnosis of locally advanced and metastatic urothelial carcinoma treated with platinum-based chemotherapy who had exon sequencing with the Memorial Sloan Kettering-Integrated Mutation Profiling of Actionable Cancer Targets (MSK-IMPACT) assay were identified. Patients were dichotomized based on the presence/absence of alterations in a panel of 34 DDR genes. DDR alteration status was correlated with clinical outcomes and disease features. Results: One hundred patients were identified, of which 47 harbored alterations in DDR genes. Patients with DDR alterations had improved progression-free survival (9.3 vs. 6.0 months, log-rank P = 0.007) and overall survival (23.7 vs. 13.0 months, log-rank P = 0.006). DDR alterations were also associated with higher number mutations and copy-number alterations. A trend toward positive correlation between DDR status and nodal metastases and inverse correlation with visceral metastases were observed. Different DDR pathways also suggested variable impact on clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Somatic DDR alteration is associated with improved clinical outcomes in platinum-treated patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma. Once validated, it can improve patient selection for clinical practice and future study enrollment. Clin Cancer Res; 23(14); 3610-8. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Design and construction of a photobioreactor for hydrogen production, including status in the field.

PubMed

Skjånes, Kari; Andersen, Uno; Heidorn, Thorsten; Borgvang, Stig A

Several species of microalgae and phototrophic bacteria are able to produce hydrogen under certain conditions. A range of different photobioreactor systems have been used by different research groups for lab-scale hydrogen production experiments, and some few attempts have been made to upscale the hydrogen production process. Even though a photobioreactor system for hydrogen production does require special construction properties (e.g., hydrogen tight, mixing by other means than bubbling with air), only very few attempts have been made to design photobioreactors specifically for the purpose of hydrogen production. We have constructed a flat panel photobioreactor system that can be used in two modes: either for the cultivation of phototrophic microorganisms (upright and bubbling) or for the production of hydrogen or other anaerobic products (mixing by "rocking motion"). Special emphasis has been taken to avoid any hydrogen leakages, both by means of constructional and material choices. The flat plate photobioreactor system is controlled by a custom-built control system that can log and control temperature, pH, and optical density and additionally log the amount of produced gas and dissolved oxygen concentration. This paper summarizes the status in the field of photobioreactors for hydrogen production and describes in detail the design and construction of a purpose-built flat panel photobioreactor system, optimized for hydrogen production in terms of structural functionality, durability, performance, and selection of materials. The motivations for the choices made during the design process and advantages/disadvantages of previous designs are discussed.

Effect of ozone on the microbiological status of five dried aromatic plants.

PubMed

Kazi, Martha; Parlapani, Foteini F; Boziaris, Ioannis S; Vellios, Evangelos K; Lykas, Christos

2018-03-01

Aromatic plants may be contaminated with a wide range of microorganisms, making them a potential health hazard when infused or added to ready-to-eat meals. To ensure safety, the effect of gaseous ozone treatment on the population of aerobic plate counts (APC), hygienic indicators (Escherichia coli, Enterococcus spp. and Enterobacteriaceae) and fungi was investigated for five dried aromatic plants: oregano, thyme, mountain tea, lemon verbena and chamomile. Selection, isolation and further fungi identification were based on the phenotypic and macro- and microscopic characteristics. Prior to ozonation, APC on five dried aromatic plants was in the range 5-7 log colony-forming units (CFU) g -1 . The APC exhibited a 4 log reduction, from around 6.5 to 2.5 in the case of oregano, and only a 1-2 log reduction for other herbs after 30 or 60 min of 4 ppm gaseous ozone treatment. Enterococcus spp. and E. coli were not detected on any of the tested dried aromatic plants. The fungi counts were 2-4 log CFU g -1 before ozonation. Aspergillus spp, Penicillium spp, Cladosporium spp, Alternaria spp, Fusarium spp., Ulocladium spp. and some unknown fungi were detected on plants before ozone treatment. Aspergillus spp. and/or Penicillium spp. were only detected on mountain tea and thyme plant material after 60 min of ozonation. The present study provides information about the efficiency of ozone on the microbial decontamination of dried aromatic plants. Treatment with gaseous ozone at 4 ppm for 30 min in the case of dried oregano and 60 min in the case of chamomile and lemon verbena could be used as alternative disinfection methods. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparison of clinical outcome between 23-G and 25-G vitrectomy in diabetic patients

PubMed Central

Taleb, Eman Abo; Nagpal, Manish P.; Mehrotra, Navneet S.; Bhatt, Kalyani; Goswami, Sangeeta; Babalola, Yewande O.; Noman, Abdulrahman

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical outcomes and complications between 23-G and 25-G vitrectomy in patients with diabetic vitreous hemorrhage (VH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective comparative study comprising 69 eyes (36 eyes in 23-G group and 33 eyes in 25-G group) of 65 patients who underwent vitrectomy with air tamponade for diabetic vitreous hemorrhage (VH) with at least 6 months of follow-up was conducted. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups in age, gender, bilaterality, type of diabetes, presence of hypertension, lens status, and previous argon laser photocoagulation state (P > 0.05). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of both groups at postoperative 1 month logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) (1.06 ± 0.99, 0.90 ± 0.96), 3 months logMAR (1.07 ± 0.93, 0.83 ± 0.85), and 6 months logMAR (1.03 ± 0.89, 0.83 ± 0.85) significantly improved from the preoperative BCVA logMAR (2.03 ± 0.83, 2.15 ± 0.99) for 23-G group, 25-G group, respectively (P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in BCVA between the two groups preoperatively and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively (P = 0.566, 0.506, 0.333, and 0.445, respectively), incidence of intraoperative wound suturing (21.4%, 15.2%), postoperative hypotony (0.0%, 0.0%), early postoperative VH (POVH) (11.1%, 15.2%), late POVH (5.6%, 0.0%), retinal detachment (2.8%, 6.1%), neovascular glaucoma (92.8%, 9.1%), and endophthalmitis (0.0%, 0.0%) for 23-G group, 25-G group, respectively (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: 25-G vitrectomy is as effective for PDR as 23-G vitrectomy. PMID:29118498

Comparison of clinical outcome between 23-G and 25-G vitrectomy in diabetic patients.

PubMed

Taleb, Eman Abo; Nagpal, Manish P; Mehrotra, Navneet S; Bhatt, Kalyani; Goswami, Sangeeta; Babalola, Yewande O; Noman, Abdulrahman

2017-01-01

To compare the clinical outcomes and complications between 23-G and 25-G vitrectomy in patients with diabetic vitreous hemorrhage (VH). A retrospective comparative study comprising 69 eyes (36 eyes in 23-G group and 33 eyes in 25-G group) of 65 patients who underwent vitrectomy with air tamponade for diabetic vitreous hemorrhage (VH) with at least 6 months of follow-up was conducted. There were no significant differences between the two groups in age, gender, bilaterality, type of diabetes, presence of hypertension, lens status, and previous argon laser photocoagulation state ( P > 0.05). Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) of both groups at postoperative 1 month logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) (1.06 ± 0.99, 0.90 ± 0.96), 3 months logMAR (1.07 ± 0.93, 0.83 ± 0.85), and 6 months logMAR (1.03 ± 0.89, 0.83 ± 0.85) significantly improved from the preoperative BCVA logMAR (2.03 ± 0.83, 2.15 ± 0.99) for 23-G group, 25-G group, respectively ( P < 0.0001). There was no significant difference in BCVA between the two groups preoperatively and at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively ( P = 0.566, 0.506, 0.333, and 0.445, respectively), incidence of intraoperative wound suturing (21.4%, 15.2%), postoperative hypotony (0.0%, 0.0%), early postoperative VH (POVH) (11.1%, 15.2%), late POVH (5.6%, 0.0%), retinal detachment (2.8%, 6.1%), neovascular glaucoma (92.8%, 9.1%), and endophthalmitis (0.0%, 0.0%) for 23-G group, 25-G group, respectively ( P > 0.05). 25-G vitrectomy is as effective for PDR as 23-G vitrectomy.

The effectiveness and safety of platinum-based pemetrexed and platinum-based gemcitabine treatment in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

PubMed

Ak, Guntulu; Metintas, Selma; Akarsu, Muhittin; Metintas, Muzaffer

2015-07-09

We aimed to evaluate the efficiency and safety of cis/carboplatin plus gemcitabine, which was previously used for mesothelioma but with no recorded proof of its efficiency, compared with cis/carboplatin plus pemetrexed, which is known to be effective in mesothelioma, in comparable historical groups of malignant pleural mesothelioma. One hundred and sixteen patients received cis/carboplatin plus pemetrexed (group 1), while 30 patients received cis/carboplatin plus gemcitabine (group 2) between June 1999 and June 2012. The two groups were compared in terms of median survival and adverse events to chemotherapy. The mean ages of groups 1 and 2 were 60.7 and 60.8 years, respectively. Most of the patients (78.1%) had epithelial type tumors, and 47% of the patients had stage IV disease. There was no difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender, asbestos exposure, histology, stage, Karnofsky performance status, presence of pleurodesis, prophylactic radiotherapy, second-line chemotherapy and median hemoglobin and serum albumin levels. The median survival time from diagnosis to death or the last day of follow up with a 95% confidence interval was 12 ± 0.95 months (95% CI: 10.15-13.85) for group 1 and 11.0 ± 1.09 months (95% CI: 8.85-13.15) for group 2 (Log-Rank: 0.142; p = 0.706). The median survival time from treatment to death or the last day of follow-up with a 95% confidence interval was 11.0 ± 0.99 months (95% CI: 9.06-12.94) for group 1 and 11.0 ± 1.52 months (95% CI: 8.02-13.97) for group 2 (Log-Rank: 0.584; p = 0.445). The stage and Karnofsky performance status were found to be significant variables on median survival time by univariate analysis. After adjusting for the stage and Karnofsky performance status, the chemotherapy schema was not impressive on median survival time (OR: 0.837; 95% CI: 0.548-1.277; p = 0.409). The progression free survival was 7.0 ± 0.61 months for group I and 6.0 ± 1.56 months for group II (Log-Rank: 0.522; p = 0.470). The treatment was generally well tolerated, and the side effects were similar in both groups. The study indicates that platinum-based gemcitabine is effective and a safe schema in malignant pleural mesothelioma. Further research should include large randomized phase III trials comparing these agents.

Antral follicle counts are strongly associated with live-birth rates after assisted reproduction, with superior treatment outcome in women with polycystic ovaries.

PubMed

Holte, Jan; Brodin, Thomas; Berglund, Lars; Hadziosmanovic, Nermin; Olovsson, Matts; Bergh, Torbjörn

2011-09-01

To evaluate the association of antral follicle count (AFC) with in vitro fertilization/intracytoplasmic sperm injection (IVF-ICSI) outcome in a large unselected cohort of patients covering the entire range of AFC. Prospective observational study. University-affiliated private infertility center. 2,092 women undergoing 4,308 IVF-ICSI cycles. AFC analyzed for associations with treatment outcome and statistically adjusted for repeated treatments and age. Pregnancy rate, live-birth rate, and stimulation outcome parameters. The AFC was log-normally distributed. Pregnancy rates and live-birth rates were positively associated with AFC in a log-linear way, leveling out above AFC ∼30. Treatment outcome was superior among women with polycystic ovaries, independent from ovulatory status. The findings were significant also after adjustment for age and number of oocytes retrieved. Pregnancy and live-birth rates are log-linearly related to AFC. Polycystic ovaries, most often excluded from studies on ovarian reserve, fit as one extreme in the spectrum of AFC; a low count constitutes the other extreme, with the lowest ovarian reserve and poor treatment outcome. The findings remained statistically significant also after adjustment for the number of oocytes retrieved, suggesting this measure of ovarian reserve comprises information on oocyte quality and not only quantity. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hygienic effects and gas production of plastic bio-digesters under tropical conditions.

PubMed

Yen-Phi, Vo Thi; Clemens, Joachim; Rechenburg, Andrea; Vinneras, Björn; Lenssen, Christina; Kistemann, Thomas

2009-12-01

Plastic plug-flow bio-digesters have been promoted as a good option for improved treatment of manure and wastewater in developing countries although minimal information has been published on their hygienic status. This bench-scale study replicates bio-digester conditions to evaluate the reduction of pathogen and indicator microorganisms at three different hydraulic retention times (HRT) in the anaerobic treatment of pig manures at 30 degrees C for 50 days. Results showed that physicochemical values differed between HRTs. Gas production efficiency was better for longer HRTS. The accumulated sludge at the reactor's base increased with longer HRT. Phages and bacteria examined were reduced, but none was completely eliminated. Log10 reduction of bacteria ranged from 0.54 to 2.47. Phages ranged from 1.60 to 3.42. The reduction of organisms at HRT = 30 days was about one log10 unit higher than HRT = 15 days and about two log10 units higher than HRT = 3 days. The results indicate that the reduction of tested organisms increases with HRT. However the hygienic quality of the liquid effluent does not meet required quality values for surface and irrigation water. Longer HRTs are recommended to increase gas yield and achieve higher pathogen reduction. More barriers should be applied while handling bio-digester outputs to minimise risks to environmental and human health.

Gut microbiota interactions with the immunomodulatory role of vitamin D in normal individuals.

PubMed

Luthold, Renata V; Fernandes, Gabriel R; Franco-de-Moraes, Ana Carolina; Folchetti, Luciana G D; Ferreira, Sandra Roberta G

2017-04-01

Due to immunomodulatory properties, vitamin D status has been implicated in several diseases beyond the skeletal disorders. There is evidence that its deficiency deteriorates the gut barrier favoring translocation of endotoxins into the circulation and systemic inflammation. Few studies investigated whether the relationship between vitamin D status and metabolic disorders would be mediated by the gut microbiota composition. We examined the association between vitamin D intake and circulating levels of 25(OH)D with gut microbiota composition, inflammatory markers and biochemical profile in healthy individuals. In this cross-sectional analysis, 150 young healthy adults were stratified into tertiles of intake and concentrations of vitamin D and their clinical and inflammatory profiles were compared. The DESeq2 was used for comparisons of microbiota composition and the log2 fold changes (log2FC) represented the comparison against the reference level. The association between 25(OH)D and fecal microbiota (16S rRNA sequencing, V4 region) was tested by multiple linear regression. Vitamin D intake was associated with its concentration (r=0.220, p=0.008). There were no significant differences in clinical and inflammatory variables across tertiles of intake. However, lipopolysaccharides increased with the reduction of 25(OH)D (p-trend <0.05). Prevotella was more abundant (log2FC 1.67, p<0.01), while Haemophilus and Veillonella were less abundant (log2FC -2.92 and -1.46, p<0.01, respectively) in the subset with the highest vitamin D intake (reference) than that observed in the other subset (first plus second tertiles). PCR (r=-0.170, p=0.039), E-selectin (r=-0.220, p=0.007) and abundances of Coprococcus (r=-0.215, p=0.008) and Bifdobacterium (r=-0.269, p=0.001) were inversely correlated with 25(OH)D. After adjusting for age, sex, season and BMI, 25(OH)D maintained inversely associated with Coprococcus (β=-9.414, p=0.045) and Bifdobacterium (β=-1.881, p=0.051), but significance disappeared following the addition of inflammatory markers in the regression models. The role of vitamin D in the maintenance of immune homeostasis seems to occur in part by interacting with the gut microbiota. The attenuation of association of bacterial genera by inflammatory markers suggests that inflammation participate in part in the relationship between the gut microbiota and vitamin D concentration. Studies with appropriate design are necessary to address hypothesis raised in the current study. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Driving habits in older patients with central vision loss.

PubMed

Sengupta, Sabyasachi; van Landingham, Suzanne W; Solomon, Sharon D; Do, Diana V; Friedman, David S; Ramulu, Pradeep Y

2014-03-01

To determine if central visual loss is associated with driving cessation, driving restriction, or other-driver preference. Cross-sectional study. Sixty-four subjects with bilateral visual loss (<20/32 in better eye) or severe unilateral visual loss (<20/200) from age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and 58 normally sighted controls between 60 and 80 years of age. Participants self-reported driving habits. Other-driver preference was defined as preferring that another drive when there is more than 1 driver in the car. Subjects reporting 2 or more driving limitations were considered to have restricted their driving. Self-reported driving cessation, other-driver preference, and driving restriction. Age-related macular degeneration subjects were older (74.7 vs. 69.7 years), had worse visual acuity (VA; mean better-eye VA, 0.43 vs. 0.08 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution [logMAR]) and contrast sensitivity (CS; 1.4 vs. 1.9 log units of CS [logCS]), and were more likely to be white when compared with controls (P<0.001 for all). Drivers with AMD-related vision loss were more likely to avoid driving over longer distances, beyond 1 hour, at night, and in unfamiliar conditions (P < 0.05 for all). In multivariate models, driving cessation was associated with worse better-eye VA (odds ratio [OR], 1.5 per 1-line decrement in VA; P<0.001) and worse binocular CS (OR, 1.36 per 0.1 logCS increment; P = 0.005); however, AMD group status was not associated with driving cessation (OR, 1.9; P = 0.35). Factors predicting driving restriction were AMD (OR, 9.0; P = 0.004), worse vision (OR, 2.5 per line of VA loss; P<0.001), lower CS (OR, 2.2 per 0.1-logCS increment; P<0.001), and female gender (OR, 27.9; P = 0.002). Other-driver preference was more common with worse vision (OR, 1.6 per 0.1-logMAR increment; P = 0.003), female gender (OR, 4.5; P = 0.02), and being married (OR, 3.8; P = 0.04). Most patients with AMD-related central vision loss continue to drive, but demonstrate significant driving restrictions, especially with more severe VA and CS loss. Future work should determine which driving adaptations the visually impaired best balance safety and independence. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Treatment Outcomes for T4 Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PubMed

Zenga, Joseph; Wilson, Michael; Adkins, Douglas R; Gay, Hiram A; Haughey, Bruce H; Kallogjeri, Dorina; Michel, Loren S; Paniello, Randal C; Rich, Jason T; Thorstad, Wade L; Nussenbaum, Brian

2015-12-01

Little is known about treatment outcomes for T4 oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC), particularly in the era of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related disease. To evaluate oncologic outcomes for T4 OPSCC treated with primary surgical and nonsurgical therapies. Retrospective cohort study of 131 patients from a single academic hospital, who were treated for T4a or T4b OPSCC (with any N stage and without distant metastatic disease at presentation) between 1998 and 2012 and had a minimum 2-year follow-up (the median follow-up time was 34.6 months). This study was conducted between January 1, 1998, and November 1, 2012. Sixty-nine patients underwent nonsurgical therapy, 47 (68%) of whom had p16-positive tumors. Nonsurgical treatment paradigms included induction chemotherapy followed by chemoradiotherapy (n = 36 [54%]), concurrent chemoradiotherapy (n = 29 [43%]), and induction chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy alone (n = 2 [3%]). Sixty-two patients underwent surgical treatment, 50 (81%) of whom had p16-positive tumors. Fifty-seven surgical patients (92%) received adjuvant therapy. Overall survival (OS) was the primary outcome measure. Secondary outcome measures included disease-specific survival (DSS), disease-free survival (DFS), 2-year gastrostomy and tracheostomy tube rates, and major complication rates. Significant baseline differences between the surgical vs nonsurgical groups included age (mean 59.8 vs 55.4 years [P = .005]), sex (male, 95% vs 84% [P = .04]), body mass index (<18.5 [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared], 3% vs 16% [P = .02]), and smoking history of 10 or more pack-years (48% vs 77% [P = .003]). For p16-positive patients, Kaplan-Meier estimates of OS, DSS, and DFS were significantly higher for surgically treated patients than for the nonsurgical group (χ(2)(1) = 7.335 for log-rank P = .007, χ(2)(1) = 8.607 for log-rank P = .003, and χ(2)(1) = 7.763 for log-rank P = .005, respectively). For p16-negative patients, Kaplan-Meier estimates of OS and DSS were higher for the surgical group but did not reach statistical significance (χ(2)(1) = 2.649 for log-rank P = .10 and χ(2)(1) = 2.077 for log-rank P = .15, respectively), while estimates of DFS were significantly higher for patients treated with primary surgery (χ(2)(1)= 3.869 for log-rank P = .049. In a multivariable Cox survival analysis, p16-positive immunohistochemical status had a significant positive association with OS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.55; 95% CI, 0.32-0.95 [P = .03]), DSS (HR, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.22-0.92 [P = .03]), and DFS (HR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.32-0.95 [P = .03]), and nonsurgical treatment had a significant negative association with OS (HR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.51-5.16 [P = .001]), DSS (HR, 3.38; 95% CI, 1.59-7.16 [P = .002]), and DFS (HR, 2.59; 95% CI, 1.51-4.45 [P = .001]). Primary surgical treatment may be associated with improved outcomes in patients with T4 OPSCC. p16 Immunohistochemical status remains a strong prognostic indicator even in patients with locally advanced disease.

Normal serum protein electrophoresis and mutated IGHV genes detect very slowly evolving chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients.

PubMed

Chauzeix, Jasmine; Laforêt, Marie-Pierre; Deveza, Mélanie; Crowther, Liam; Marcellaud, Elodie; Derouault, Paco; Lia, Anne-Sophie; Boyer, François; Bargues, Nicolas; Olombel, Guillaume; Jaccard, Arnaud; Feuillard, Jean; Gachard, Nathalie; Rizzo, David

2018-05-09

More than 35 years after the Binet classification, there is still a need for simple prognostic markers in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Here, we studied the treatment-free survival (TFS) impact of normal serum protein electrophoresis (SPE) at diagnosis. One hundred twelve patients with CLL were analyzed. The main prognostic factors (Binet stage; lymphocytosis; IGHV mutation status; TP53, SF3B1, NOTCH1, and BIRC3 mutations; and cytogenetic abnormalities) were studied. The frequencies of IGHV mutation status, cytogenetic abnormalities, and TP53, SF3B1, NOTCH1, and BIRC3 mutations were not significantly different between normal and abnormal SPE. Normal SPE was associated with Binet stage A, nonprogressive disease for 6 months, lymphocytosis below 30 G/L, and the absence of the IGHV3-21 gene rearrangement which is associated with poor prognosis. The TFS of patients with normal SPE was significantly longer than that of patients with abnormal SPE (log-rank test: P = 0.0015, with 51% untreated patients at 5.6 years and a perfect plateau afterward vs. a median TFS at 2.64 years for abnormal SPE with no plateau). Multivariate analysis using two different Cox models and bootstrapping showed that normal SPE was an independent good prognostic marker for either Binet stage, lymphocytosis, or IGHV mutation status. TFS was further increased when both normal SPE and mutated IGHV were present (log-rank test: P = 0.008, median not reached, plateau at 5.6 years and 66% untreated patients). A comparison with other prognostic markers suggested that normal SPE could reflect slowly advancing CLL disease. Altogether, our results show that a combination of normal SPE and mutated IGHV genes defines a subgroup of patients with CLL who evolve very slowly and who might never need treatment. © 2018 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Characterizing heterogeneity of disease incidence in a spatial hierarchy: a case study from a decade of observations of fusarium head blight of wheat.

PubMed

Kriss, A B; Paul, P A; Madden, L V

2012-09-01

A multilevel analysis of heterogeneity of disease incidence was conducted based on observations of Fusarium head blight (caused by Fusarium graminearum) in Ohio during the 2002-11 growing seasons. Sampling consisted of counting the number of diseased and healthy wheat spikes per 0.3 m of row at 10 sites (about 30 m apart) in a total of 67 to 159 sampled fields in 12 to 32 sampled counties per year. Incidence was then determined as the proportion of diseased spikes at each site. Spatial heterogeneity of incidence among counties, fields within counties, and sites within fields and counties was characterized by fitting a generalized linear mixed model to the data, using a complementary log-log link function, with the assumption that the disease status of spikes was binomially distributed conditional on the effects of county, field, and site. Based on the estimated variance terms, there was highly significant spatial heterogeneity among counties and among fields within counties each year; magnitude of the estimated variances was similar for counties and fields. The lowest level of heterogeneity was among sites within fields, and the site variance was either 0 or not significantly greater than 0 in 3 of the 10 years. Based on the variances, the intracluster correlation of disease status of spikes within sites indicated that spikes from the same site were somewhat more likely to share the same disease status relative to spikes from other sites, fields, or counties. The estimated best linear unbiased predictor (EBLUP) for each county was determined, showing large differences across the state in disease incidence (as represented by the link function of the estimated probability that a spike was diseased) but no consistency between years for the different counties. The effects of geographical location, corn and wheat acreage per county, and environmental conditions on the EBLUP for each county were not significant in the majority of years.

KSC-03PD-1870

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2003-01-01

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. Astronaut Pamela Melroy (fourth from right in front) joins other attendees at the Florida Commission on the Status of Women held June 7 at the Debus Conference Facility. Melroy was a speaker. Her accomplishments include serving as pilot on two Shuttle flights (STS-92 in 2000 and STS- 112 in 2002), and logging more than 562 hours in space. The commission, through coordinating, researching, communicating, and encouraging legislation, is dedicated to empowering women from all walks of life in achieving their fullest potential, to eliminating barriers to that achievement, and to recognizing womens accomplishments.

The Association of Patient Factors, Digital Access, and Online Behavior on Sustained Patient Portal Use: A Prospective Cohort of Enrolled Users

PubMed Central

Nazi, Kim M; Hibbard, Judith H; Houston, Thomas K

2017-01-01

Background As electronic health records and computerized workflows expand, there are unprecedented opportunities to digitally connect with patients using secure portals. To realize the value of patient portals, initial reach across populations will need to be demonstrated, as well as sustained usage over time. Objective The study aim was to identify patient factors associated with short-term and long-term portal usage after patients registered to access all portal functions. Methods We prospectively followed a cohort of patients at a large Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facility who recently completed identity proofing to use the VA patient portal. Information collected at baseline encompassed patient factors potentially associated with portal usage, including: demographics, Internet access and use, health literacy, patient activation, and self-reported health conditions. The primary outcome was the frequency of portal log-ins during 6-month and 18-month time intervals after study enrollment. Results A total of 270 study participants were followed prospectively. Almost all participants (260/268, 97.0%) reported going online, typically at home (248/268, 92.5%). At 6 months, 84.1% (227/270) of participants had visited the portal, with some variation in usage across demographic and health-related subgroups. There were no significant differences in portal log-ins by age, gender, education, marital status, race/ethnicity, distance to a VA facility, or patient activation measure. Significantly higher portal usage was seen among participants using high-speed broadband at home, greater self-reported ability using the Internet, and routinely going online. By 18 months, 91% participants had logged in to the portal, and no significant associations were found between usage and demographics, health status, or patient activation. When examining portal activity between 6 and 18 months, patients who were infrequent or high portal users remained in those categories, respectively. Conclusions Short-term and long-term portal usage was associated with having broadband at home, high self-rated ability when using the Internet, and overall online behavior. Digital inclusion, or ready access to the Internet and digital skills, appears to be a social determinant in patient exposure to portal services. PMID:29042345

Composite Measures of Individual and Area-Level Socio-Economic Status Are Associated with Visual Impairment in Singapore

PubMed Central

Wah, Win; Earnest, Arul; Sabanayagam, Charumathi; Cheng, Ching-Yu; Ong, Marcus Eng Hock; Wong, Tien Y.; Lamoureux, Ecosse L.

2015-01-01

Purpose To investigate the independent relationship of individual- and area-level socio-economic status (SES) with the presence and severity of visual impairment (VI) in an Asian population. Methods Cross-sectional data from 9993 Chinese, Malay and Indian adults aged 40–80 years who participated in the Singapore Epidemiology of eye Diseases (2004–2011) in Singapore. Based on the presenting visual acuity (PVA) in the better-seeing eye, VI was categorized into normal vision (logMAR≤0.30), low vision (logMAR>0.30<1.00), and blindness (logMAR≥1.00). Any VI was defined as low vision/blindness in the PVA of better-seeing eye. Individual-level low-SES was defined as a composite of primary-level education, monthly income<2000 SGD and residing in 1 or 2-room public apartment. An area-level SES was assessed using a socio-economic disadvantage index (SEDI), created using 12 variables from the 2010 Singapore census. A high SEDI score indicates a relatively poor SES. Associations between SES measures and presence and severity of VI were examined using multi-level, mixed-effects logistic and multinomial regression models. Results The age-adjusted prevalence of any VI was 19.62% (low vision = 19%, blindness = 0.62%). Both individual- and area-level SES were positively associated with any VI and low vision after adjusting for confounders. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of any VI was 2.11(1.88–2.37) for low-SES and 1.07(1.02–1.13) per 1 standard deviation increase in SEDI. When stratified by unilateral/bilateral categories, while low SES showed significant associations with all categories, SEDI showed a significant association with bilateral low vision only. The association between low SES and any VI remained significant among all age, gender and ethnic sub-groups. Although a consistent positive association was observed between area-level SEDI and any VI, the associations were significant among participants aged 40–65 years and male. Conclusion In this community-based sample of Asian adults, both individual- and area-level SES were independently associated with the presence and severity of VI. PMID:26555141

Effect of Dietary Patterns on Muscle Strength and Physical Performance in the Very Old: Findings from the Newcastle 85+ Study.

PubMed

Granic, Antoneta; Jagger, Carol; Davies, Karen; Adamson, Ashley; Kirkwood, Thomas; Hill, Tom R; Siervo, Mario; Mathers, John C; Sayer, Avan Aihie

2016-01-01

Healthy diet has been associated with better muscle strength and physical performance in cross-sectional studies of older adults but the effect of dietary patterns (DP) on subsequent decline, particularly in the very old (aged 85+), has not been determined. We investigated the association between previously established DP and decline in muscle strength and physical performance in the very old. 791 participants (61.8% women) from the Newcastle 85+ Study were followed-up for change in hand grip strength (HGS) and Timed Up-and Go (TUG) test over 5 years (four waves 1.5 years apart). Mixed models were used to determine the effects of DP on muscle strength and physical performance in the entire cohort and separately by sex. Previously we have established three DP that varied in intake of red meats, potato, gravy and butter and differed with key health and social factors. HGS declined linearly by 1.59 kgF in men and 1.08 kgF in women (both p<0.001), and TUG slowed by 0.13 log10-transformed seconds (log10-s) in men and 0.11 log10-s in women per wave after adjusting for important covariates (both p<0.001), and also showed a nonlinear change (p<0.001). Men in DP1 ('High Red Meat') had worse overall HGS (β = -1.70, p = 0.05), but men in DP3 ('High Butter') had a steeper decline (β = -0.63, p = 0.05) than men in DP2 ('Low Meat'). Men in DP1 and women in DP3 also had overall slower TUG than those in DP2 (β = 0.08, p = 0.001 and β = 0.06, p = 0.01, respectively), but similar rate of decline after adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, health, and functioning factors. The results for HGS and TUG were not affected by participants' cognitive status. DP high in red meats, potato and gravy (DP1), or butter (DP3) may adversely affect muscle strength and physical performance in later life, independently of important covariates and cognitive status.

Lidar-based multinomial classification algorithms for tropical forest degradation status: Implications for biomass estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duffy, P.; Keller, M.; Longo, M.; Morton, D. C.; dos-Santos, M. N.; Pinagé, E. R.

2017-12-01

There is an urgent need to quantify the effects of land use and land cover change on carbon stocks in tropical forests to support REDD+ policies and improve characterization of global carbon budgets. This need is underscored by the fact that the variability in forest biomass estimates from global forest carbon maps is artificially low relative to estimates generated from forest inventory and high-resolution airborne lidar data. Both deforestation and degradation processes (e.g. logging, fire, and fragmentation) affect carbon fluxes at varying spatial and temporal scales. While the spatial extent and impact of deforestation has been relatively well characterized, the quantification of degradation processes is still poorly constrained. In the Brazilian Amazon, the largest source of uncertainty in CO2 emissions estimates is data on changes in tropical forest carbon stocks through time, followed closely by incomplete information on the carbon losses from forest degradation. In this work, we present a method for classifying the degradation status of tropical forests using higher order moments (skewness and kurtosis) of lidar return distributions aggregated at grids with resolution ranging from 50 m to 250 m. Across multiple spatial resolutions, we quantify the strength of the functional relationship between the lidar returns and the classification based on historical time series of Landsat imagery. Our results show that the higher order moments of the lidar return distributions provide sufficient information to build multinomial models that accurately classify the landscape into intact, logged, and burned forests. Model fit improved with coarser spatial resolution with Kappa statistics of 0.70 at 50 m, and 0.77 at 250 m. In addition, multi-class AUC was estimated as 0.87 at 50 m, and 0.95 at 250 m. This classification provides important information regarding the applicability of the use of lidar data for regional monitoring of recent logging, as well as the trajectory of the carbon budget. Differentiating between the biomass changes associated with deforestation and degradation processes is critical for accurate accounting of disturbance impacts on carbon cycling within the Brazilian Amazon and global tropical forests.

Effect of Dietary Patterns on Muscle Strength and Physical Performance in the Very Old: Findings from the Newcastle 85+ Study

PubMed Central

Granic, Antoneta; Jagger, Carol; Davies, Karen; Adamson, Ashley; Kirkwood, Thomas; Hill, Tom R.; Siervo, Mario; Mathers, John C.; Sayer, Avan Aihie

2016-01-01

Background Healthy diet has been associated with better muscle strength and physical performance in cross-sectional studies of older adults but the effect of dietary patterns (DP) on subsequent decline, particularly in the very old (aged 85+), has not been determined. Objective We investigated the association between previously established DP and decline in muscle strength and physical performance in the very old. Design 791 participants (61.8% women) from the Newcastle 85+ Study were followed-up for change in hand grip strength (HGS) and Timed Up-and Go (TUG) test over 5 years (four waves 1.5 years apart). Mixed models were used to determine the effects of DP on muscle strength and physical performance in the entire cohort and separately by sex. Results Previously we have established three DP that varied in intake of red meats, potato, gravy and butter and differed with key health and social factors. HGS declined linearly by 1.59 kgF in men and 1.08 kgF in women (both p<0.001), and TUG slowed by 0.13 log10-transformed seconds (log10-s) in men and 0.11 log10-s in women per wave after adjusting for important covariates (both p<0.001), and also showed a nonlinear change (p<0.001). Men in DP1 (‘High Red Meat’) had worse overall HGS (β = -1.70, p = 0.05), but men in DP3 (‘High Butter’) had a steeper decline (β = -0.63, p = 0.05) than men in DP2 (‘Low Meat’). Men in DP1 and women in DP3 also had overall slower TUG than those in DP2 (β = 0.08, p = 0.001 and β = 0.06, p = 0.01, respectively), but similar rate of decline after adjusting for sociodemographic, lifestyle, health, and functioning factors. The results for HGS and TUG were not affected by participants’ cognitive status. Conclusions DP high in red meats, potato and gravy (DP1), or butter (DP3) may adversely affect muscle strength and physical performance in later life, independently of important covariates and cognitive status. PMID:26934360

Hepatitis B-core antibody positive donors in liver transplantation and their impact on graft survival: evidence from the Liver Match cohort study.

PubMed

Angelico, Mario; Nardi, Alessandra; Marianelli, Tania; Caccamo, Lucio; Romagnoli, Renato; Tisone, Giuseppe; Pinna, Antonio D; Avolio, Alfonso W; Fagiuoli, Stefano; Burra, Patrizia; Strazzabosco, Mario; Costa, Alessandro Nanni

2013-04-01

The appropriate allocation of grafts from HBcAb positive donors in liver transplantation is crucial, yet a consensus is still lacking. We evaluated this issue within Liver Match, a prospective observational Italian study. Data from 1437 consecutive, first transplants performed in 2007-2009 using grafts from deceased heart beating donors were analyzed (median follow-up: 1040 days). Of these, 219 (15.2%) were HBcAb positive. Sixty-six HBcAb positive grafts were allocated to HBsAg positive and 153 to HBsAg negative recipients. 329 graft losses occurred (22.9%): 66 (30.1%) among 219 recipients of HBcAb positive grafts, and 263 (21.6%) among 1218 recipients of HBcAb negative grafts. Graft survival was lower in recipients of HBcAb positive compared to HBcAb negative donors, with unadjusted 3-year graft survival of 0.69 (s.e. 0.032) and 0.77 (0.013), respectively (log-rank, p=0.0047). After stratifying for recipient HBsAg status, this difference was only observed among HBsAg negative recipients (log rank, p=0.0007), 3-year graft survival being excellent (0.88, s.e. 0.020) among HBsAg positive recipients, regardless of the HBcAb donor status (log rank, p=0.4478). Graft loss due to de novo HBV hepatitis occurred only in one patient. At Cox regression, hazard ratios for graft loss were: MELD (1.30 per 10 units, p=0.0002), donor HBcAb positivity (1.56, p=0.0015), recipient HBsAg positivity (0.43, p <0.0001), portal vein thrombosis (1.99, p=0.0156), and DRI (1.41 per unit, p=0.0325). HBcAb positive donor grafts have better outcomes when transplanted into HBsAg positive than HBsAg negative recipients. These findings suggest that donor HBcAb positivity requires more stringent allocation strategies. Copyright © 2012 European Association for the Study of the Liver. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

OIL WELL REMEDIATION IN CLAY AND WAYNE COUNTIES, IL

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

Peter L. Dakuras; Larry Stieber; Dick Young

2003-02-01

This is the first technical progress report of the remediation of two wells and a water injection well in Clay County, Illinois. The location is identified as the Routt lease and the wells will be identified as the Routt No.3 and Routt No.4 respectively throughout this report. The Clay County portion of this project has met all legal, financial, and environmental requirements to drill and /or pump oil at this lease. We have also obtained all available information about this site and have taken the necessary steps to improve access roads, dig the necessary pits and build the necessary firewalls.more » Both wells have been drilled to the Salem formation. Gas gun technology was used to stimulate the reservoir of the Routt No.3. This report will address the technical aspects of the remediation.« less

Synthetic constructs in/for the environment: Managing the interplay between natural and engineered Biology

PubMed Central

Schmidt, Markus; de Lorenzo, Víctor

2012-01-01

The plausible release of deeply engineered or even entirely synthetic/artificial microorganisms raises the issue of their intentional (e.g. bioremediation) or accidental interaction with the Environment. Containment systems designed in the 1980s–1990s for limiting the spread of genetically engineered bacteria and their recombinant traits are still applicable to contemporary Synthetic Biology constructs. Yet, the ease of DNA synthesis and the uncertainty on how non-natural properties and strains could interplay with the existing biological word poses yet again the challenge of designing safe and efficacious firewalls to curtail possible interactions. Such barriers may include xeno-nucleic acids (XNAs) instead of DNA as information-bearing molecules, rewriting the genetic code to make it non-understandable by the existing gene expression machineries, and/or making growth dependent on xenobiotic chemicals. PMID:22710182

The North American Breeding Bird Survey 1966–2011: Summary analysis and species accounts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sauer, John R.; Link, William A.; Fallon, Jane E.; Pardieck, Keith L.; Ziolkowski, David J.

2013-01-01

The North American Breeding Bird Survey is a roadside, count-based survey conducted by volunteer observers. Begun in 1966, it now is a primary source of information on spatial and temporal patterns of population change for North American birds. We analyze population change for states, provinces, Bird Conservation Regions, and the entire survey within the contiguous United States and southern Canada for 426 species using a hierarchical log-linear model that controls for observer effects in counting. We also map relative abundance and population change for each species using a spatial smoothing of data at the scale of survey routes. We present results in accounts that describe major breeding habitats, migratory status, conservation status, and population trends for each species at several geographic scales. We also present composite results for groups of species categorized by habitats and migratory status. The survey varies greatly among species in percentage of species' range covered and precision of results, but consistent patterns of decline occur among eastern forest, grassland, and aridland obligate birds while generalist bird species are increasing.

Testnodes: a Lightweight Node-Testing Infrastructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fay, R.; Bland, J.

2014-06-01

A key aspect of ensuring optimum cluster reliability and productivity lies in keeping worker nodes in a healthy state. Testnodes is a lightweight node testing solution developed at Liverpool. While Nagios has been used locally for general monitoring of hosts and services, Testnodes is optimised to answer one question: is there any reason this node should not be accepting jobs? This tight focus enables Testnodes to inspect nodes frequently with minimal impact and provide a comprehensive and easily extended check with each inspection. On the server side, Testnodes, implemented in python, interoperates with the Torque batch server to control the nodes production status. Testnodes remotely and in parallel executes client-side test scripts and processes the return codes and output, adjusting the node's online/offline status accordingly to preserve the integrity of the overall batch system. Testnodes reports via log, email and Nagios, allowing a quick overview of node status to be reviewed and specific node issues to be identified and resolved quickly. This presentation will cover testnodes design and implementation, together with the results of its use in production at Liverpool, and future development plans.

Assessing the relationship between groundwater nitrate and animal feeding operations in Iowa (USA)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zirkle, Keith W.; Nolan, Bernard T.; Jones, Rena R.; Weyer, Peter J.; Ward, Mary H.; Wheeler, David C.

2016-01-01

Nitrate-nitrogen is a common contaminant of drinking water in many agricultural areas of the United States of America (USA). Ingested nitrate from contaminated drinking water has been linked to an increased risk of several cancers, specific birth defects, and other diseases. In this research, we assessed the relationship between animal feeding operations (AFOs) and groundwater nitrate in private wells in Iowa. We characterized AFOs by swine and total animal units and type (open, confined, or mixed), and we evaluated the number and spatial intensities of AFOs in proximity to private wells. The types of AFO indicate the extent to which a facility is enclosed by a roof. Using linear regression models, we found significant positive associations between the total number of AFOs within 2 km of a well (p trend < 0.001), number of open AFOs within 5 km of a well (p trend < 0.001), and number of mixed AFOs within 30 km of a well (p trend < 0.001) and the log nitrate concentration. Additionally, we found significant increases in log nitrate in the top quartiles for AFO spatial intensity, open AFO spatial intensity, and mixed AFO spatial intensity compared to the bottom quartile (0.171 log(mg/L), 0.319 log(mg/L), and 0.541 log(mg/L), respectively; all p < 0.001). We also explored the spatial distribution of nitrate-nitrogen in drinking wells and found significant spatial clustering of high-nitrate wells (> 5 mg/L) compared with low-nitrate (≤ 5 mg/L) wells (p = 0.001). A generalized additive model for high-nitrate status identified statistically significant areas of risk for high levels of nitrate. Adjustment for some AFO predictor variables explained a portion of the elevated nitrate risk. These results support a relationship between animal feeding operations and groundwater nitrate concentrations and differences in nitrate loss from confined AFOs vs. open or mixed types.

Inpatient satisfaction and usage patterns of personalized smart bedside station system for patient-centered service at a tertiary university hospital.

PubMed

Ryu, Borim; Kim, Seok; Lee, Kee-Hyuck; Hwang, Hee; Yoo, Sooyoung

2016-11-01

Bedside stations, also known as bedside terminals, are in place to enhance the quality and experience of a hospital's healthcare service delivery. The purpose of this study was to identify information needs and overall satisfaction with the personalized patient bedside system, called Smart Bedside Station (SBS) system, embedded in a tertiary general university hospital. End-user responses on the satisfaction survey and system usage logs of the SBS system were collected and analyzed. For the user opinion survey, 156 nurses and 1914 patients, their family members, or caregivers participated during the evaluation period of 2013 to 2014 in this study. All working nurses in the SBS-installed ward were answered the paper-based evaluation, for complete enumeration survey. Inpatients were voluntary participated to deliver the online questionnaire on the SBS menu. We also explored system log data including page calls and usage time from December 2013 to 2015. Regarding the relationship of overall satisfaction of the SBS with patient's characteristics, patient's education status and degree of familiarity with the smart device were statistically significant. From the analysis of system logs, Personalized My Menu(28.0%) was the most frequently used menu item (except for TV and Internet entertainment service use of 62.7%),it provides individual health information, such as laboratory test results, hospital fee check, message logs, daily medication information, and meal information. Next frequently used menus were information support(4.9%) which deliver hospital guide and health information and convenience service ordering(4.4%) such as meal order, bed sheet change. Satisfaction survey results and log data results show that the personalized service enhances the user satisfaction during hospital admission. Our post-implementation experience and subsequent assessment of SBS system is capable of providing insights into improving the hospital information system and service contents for patient-centered services. Further research should be directed at developing sophisticated patient-centered services as a communication tool between the hospital and the patient. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mortality differentials by marital status: an international comparison.

PubMed

Hu, Y R; Goldman, N

1990-05-01

Although the greater longevity of married people as compared with unmarried persons has been demonstrated repeatedly, there have been very few studies of a comparative nature. We use log-linear rate models to analyze marital-status-specific death rates for a large number of developed countries. The results indicate that divorced persons, especially divorced men, have the highest death rates among the unmarried groups of the respective genders; the excess mortality of unmarried persons relative to the married has been generally increasing over the past two to three decades; and divorced and widowed persons in their twenties and thirties have particularly high risks of dying, relative to married persons of the same age. In addition, the analysis suggests that a selection process is operating with regard to single and divorced persons: the smaller the proportion of persons who never marry or who are divorced, the higher the resulting death rates.

Concentrations of organic contaminants in mollusks and sediments at NOAA National Status and Trend sites in the coastal and estuarine United States.

PubMed

O'Connor, T P

1991-01-01

Mean concentrations of PAHs, PCBs, and DDT in mollusks and sediments at sites in the National Status and Trends Program (NST) are distributed in log-normal fashion. The dry weight-based chlorinated organic concentrations in mollusks generally exceed those in nearby sediments by an order of magnitude. PAHs are found at similar concentrations in sediments and mollusks. Highest concentrations of PCBs and DDT in mollusks are in the ranges of 1000 to 4000 ng/g (dry) and 400 to 1000 ng/g (dry), respectively. The highest PAH concentrations in sediments are in the 10,000 to 50,000 ng/g (dry) range. While higher concentrations of contaminants can be found by sampling localized hot spots, the NST data represent the distribution of concentrations over general areas of the coastal United States.

Gene Methylation and Cytological Atypia in Random Fine Needle Aspirates for Assessment of Breast Cancer Risk

PubMed Central

Hafeez, Sidra; Bujanda, Zoila Lopez; Chatterton, Robert T.; Jacobs, Lisa K.; Khouri, Nagi F.; Ivancic, David; Kenney, Kara; Shehata, Christina; Jeter, Stacie C.; Wolfman, Judith A.; Zalles, Carola M.; Huang, Peng

2016-01-01

Methods to determine individualized breast cancer risk lack sufficient sensitivity to select women most likely to benefit from preventive strategies. Alterations in DNA methylation occur early in breast cancer. We hypothesized that cancer-specific methylation markers could enhance breast cancer risk assessment. We evaluated 380 women without a history of breast cancer. We determined their menopausal status or menstrual cycle phase, risk of developing breast cancer (Gail model), and breast density, and obtained random fine needle aspiration (rFNA) samples for assessment of cytopathology and cumulative methylation index (CMI). Eight methylated gene markers were identified through whole genome methylation analysis and included novel and previously established breast cancer detection genes. We performed correlative and multivariate linear regression analyses to evaluate DNA methylation of a gene panel as a function of clinical factors associated with breast cancer risk. CMI and individual gene methylation were independent of age, menopausal status or menstrual phase, lifetime Gail risk score, and breast density. CMI and individual gene methylation for the eight genes increased significantly (p<0.001) with increasing cytological atypia. The findings were verified with multivariate analyses correcting for age, log (Gail), log (percent density), rFNA cell number and BMI. Our results demonstrate a significant association between cytological atypia and high CMI, which does not vary with menstrual phase or menopause and is independent of Gail risk and mammographic density. Thus CMI is an excellent candidate breast cancer risk biomarker, warranting larger prospective studies to establish its utility for cancer risk assessment. PMID:27261491

Studies on immunocompetence status in two turkey varieties in India.

PubMed

Singh, N S; Kumar, S; Majumdar, S; Sivaraman, G K; Shivakumar, B M

2004-10-01

(1) Two hundred and twenty-seven adult turkeys of both sexes, of two varieties (104 Black and 123 White) were used to evaluate their immunocompetence status and body weights. (2) Response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) (humoral immunity) was measured by Haemagglutination (HA) test 5 days post immunisation (dpi) and expressed as log2 values. Mercaptoethanol resistant (MER) antibodies representing IgG were determined by Mercaptoethanol HA test and Mercaptoethanol sensitive (MES) antibodies, representing IgM as the difference in total HA titre and IgG. Serum lysozyme concentrations were estimated by 'Lysoplate assay' and expressed in log2 values. (3) Least squares analysis of variance revealed that the White variety had higher adult body weight (4.788 +/- 0.040 kg) than the Black (3.774 +/- 0.044 kg). Sexual dimorphism was apparent and meals were heavier than females in both varieties. The interaction effect of variety and sex on body weight was also significant. (4) Least squares means for immunological traits, namely, total anti-SRBC antibodies, MER, MES titres and serum lysozyme were 7.161 +/- 0.189, 0.801 +/- 0.071, 6.362 +/- 0.160 and 1.766 +/- 0.043 microg/ml, respectively. The Black variety had a higher MES antibody titre than the White. (5) Sex had an effect on all the immunological traits except on MER titres. Females generally had higher anti-SRBC, MER and MES titres and serum lysozyme. The variety x sex interaction effect was significant for MES titres and serum lysozyme. White males had the lowest MES titres.

Smoking habits are an independent prognostic factor in patients with lung cancer.

PubMed

Avci, Nilufer; Hayar, Murat; Altmisdortoglu, Ozgur; Tanriverdi, Ozgur; Deligonul, Adem; Ordu, Cetin; Evrensel, Turkkan

2017-09-01

The role of tobacco in the pathogenesis of lung cancer (LC) has been clearly established. Based on the epidemiological evidence that smoking may influence LC progression, we investigated the idea that smoking behavior could be associated with overall survival (OS) in this group of patients. A total of 351 patients with LC (311 men and 40 women) were reviewed. Smoking status was assessed as tobacco users or non-users. To calculate pack-years of smoking, the average of number of cigarettes smoked per day was divided by 20 to give packs per day, and then multiplied by the total number of years of smoking. OS was the main outcome measure. The mean follow-up was 3.3 ± 1.2 years. Kaplan-Meier plots of OS by use of tobacco revealed significant differences by smoking status (log-rank = 5.44, P < 0.01), indicating a reduced survival rate in tobacco users. The effect on OS of the amount of cigarette smoking was also evident when we subdivided the former and current smokers into ≤7 (mean value) pack-years and >7 pack-years groups (log-rank = 4.27, P < 0.05). After adjusting for all potential confounders, tobacco smoking retained its independent prognostic significance for OS (hazard ratio = 1.53, 95% confidence interval = 1.19-2.17, P = 0.02). Our data indicate that cigarette smoking is significantly associated with a poor prognosis among patients diagnosed with LC in a dose-dependent manner. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Lack of Thy1 (CD90) expression in neuroblastomas is correlated with impaired survival.

PubMed

Fiegel, Henning C; Kaifi, Jussuf T; Quaas, Alexander; Varol, Emine; Krickhahn, Annika; Metzger, Roman; Sauter, Guido; Till, Holger; Izbicki, Jakob R; Erttmann, Rudolf; Kluth, Dietrich

2008-01-01

Neuroblastoma (NBL) is the most common solid tumor in children. Tumors in advanced stage or with positive risk factors still have a poor prognosis. Thy1 (CD90) is a membrane glycoprotein expressed in thymus, retinal ganglionic cells, and several types of stem cells. The aim of this study was to assess Thy1 expression in NBL and analyze the correlation with clinical outcome. Sixty-three specimens of NBL were stained for Thy1 on a tissue microarray by immunohistochemistry. Fresh frozen tumor tissues were used for RNA isolation, and RT-PCR analysis for Thy1-mRNA expression was performed. Patients' survival data were correlated with Thy1 status using a log rank test and a Cox regression multivariate analysis. Thy1 was expressed on 51 (81%) of the tumors. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed a significantly impaired survival in patients with NBL missing Thy1 (P < 0.005 by log-rank test). A multivariate Cox regression showed an independent prognostic value of Thy1 status for overall survival (P < 0.05). In addition, the frequency of events and deaths was significantly higher in the group of patients with Thy1 negative tumors, as assessed by ANOVA analysis (P < 0.05 by F-test). The data showed that Thy1-negative NBL patients have a significantly impaired overall survival compared with Thy1-positive NBL patients. Thus, Thy1 seemed to be a marker with a specific prognostic value in NBL patients. Future studies are aiming at the biological role of this marker in the tumor cell differentiation.

Daily magnesium intake and serum magnesium concentration among Japanese people.

PubMed

Akizawa, Yoriko; Koizumi, Sadayuki; Itokawa, Yoshinori; Ojima, Toshiyuki; Nakamura, Yosikazu; Tamura, Tarou; Kusaka, Yukinori

2008-01-01

The vitamins and minerals that are deficient in the daily diet of a normal adult remain unknown. To answer this question, we conducted a population survey focusing on the relationship between dietary magnesium intake and serum magnesium level. The subjects were 62 individuals from Fukui Prefecture who participated in the 1998 National Nutrition Survey. The survey investigated the physical status, nutritional status, and dietary data of the subjects. Holidays and special occasions were avoided, and a day when people are most likely to be on an ordinary diet was selected as the survey date. The mean (+/-standard deviation) daily magnesium intake was 322 (+/-132), 323 (+/-163), and 322 (+/-147) mg/day for men, women, and the entire group, respectively. The mean (+/-standard deviation) serum magnesium concentration was 20.69 (+/-2.83), 20.69 (+/-2.88), and 20.69 (+/-2.83) ppm for men, women, and the entire group, respectively. The distribution of serum magnesium concentration was normal. Dietary magnesium intake showed a log-normal distribution, which was then transformed by logarithmic conversion for examining the regression coefficients. The slope of the regression line between the serum magnesium concentration (Y ppm) and daily magnesium intake (X mg) was determined using the formula Y = 4.93 (log(10)X) + 8.49. The coefficient of correlation (r) was 0.29. A regression line (Y = 14.65X + 19.31) was observed between the daily intake of magnesium (Y mg) and serum magnesium concentration (X ppm). The coefficient of correlation was 0.28. The daily magnesium intake correlated with serum magnesium concentration, and a linear regression model between them was proposed.

Associations of Exhaled Carbon Monoxide and Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide with Metabolic Syndrome: A Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Guo, Yanjun; Ma, Jixuan; Lu, Wei; He, Jintong; Zhang, Runbo; Yuan, Jing; Chen, Weihong

2016-01-01

Exhaled carbon monoxide (eCO) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) could reflect underlying inflammatory and oxidative stresses, which play important roles in pathogenetic pathways of metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, epidemiologic evidence was limited. We conducted a study in Wuhan-Zhuhai (WHZH) cohort of 3649 community participants to investigate the association between eCO, FeNO and MetS in both cross-sectional and prospective ways. The results showed that higher eCO and FeNO were associated cross-sectionally with a higher prevalence of MetS. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratios for MetS at baseline were 1.22 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.11 to 1.35) associated with per log eCO and 1.14 (95% CI: 1.00 to 1.30) associated with per log FeNO. During a follow-up of 3 years, 358/2181 new developed MetS cases were identified. Compared with lowest quartile of eCO and FeNO, the multivariable-adjusted risk ratios (95% CI) for MetS were 1.48 (1.06 to 2.06) related to the highest quartile of eCO. These findings remained consistent across sex but not smoking status, eCO was only associated with MetS in non-smokers when stratified by smoking status. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that eCO and FeNO were independently and positively associated with the prevalence of MetS cross-sectionally, while only eCO was positively related with the incidence of MetS prospectively. PMID:27076211

Short-Acting Gas Tamponade with Strict Face-Down Posturing for the Treatment of Idiopathic Macular Hole.

PubMed

Gotzaridis, Stratos; Liazos, Efstathios; Petrou, Petros; Georgalas, Ilias

2017-01-01

A retrospective consecutive case series to evaluate the safety and efficacy of 25 gauge pars plana vitrectomy, ILM peeling, 20% SF 6 gas tamponade and strict posturing for the treatment of idiopathic full-thickness macular holes. We report the results of 106 consecutive eyes that underwent standard 25-gauge pars plana vitrectomy, brilliant peel-assisted internal limiting membrane peel, fluid:gas exchange with 20% SF 6 and strict posturing for one week. All patients were followed up at one week, one month, three months, and nine months postoperatively. Biomicroscopy at day 1 and biomicroscopy and OCT at week 1, months 1, 3, and 9 were used to assess macular hole status postoperatively. Pre- and postoperative logMAR visual acuity was compared. The macular hole was closed in 102/106 eyes postoperatively (96.2%). Four eyes showed unclosed macular holes and underwent additional SF 6 intravitreal injection and strict posturing for 10 days. All macular holes were eventually closed without the need of a second surgical procedure. Mean visual acuity improved from 0.63 logMAR preoperatively to 0.39 logMAR postoperatively. One case of retinal toxicity was reported due to accidental intravitreal injection of antibiotic. 25-gauge vitrectomy, ILM peel, and short-acting gas tamponade are highly effective for the treatment of macular holes. Additional intravitreal gas injection followed by strict posturing seems to be a simple and effective treatment for unclosed holes.

The impact of health literacy on rural adults' satisfaction with a multi-component intervention to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage intake.

PubMed

Bailey, A N; Porter, K J; Hill, J L; Chen, Y; Estabrooks, P A; Zoellner, J M

2016-08-01

SIPsmartER is a 6-month behavioral intervention designed using a health literacy universal precautions approach that has been found effective at reducing sugary beverage intake in rural, low socioeconomic adults. The purpose of this mixed-methods study is to determine if health literacy status influenced participants' satisfaction and perceptions of each intervention component: small group classes, interactive-voice response (IVR) calls, personal action plans and self-monitoring logs. Of the 155 participants enrolled in SIPsmartER, 105 (68%) completed an interview-administered summative evaluation including 68 high and 37 low health literate participants. The quantitative findings show participant satisfaction with each intervention component was high (i.e. classes = 9.6, IVR calls = 8.1, action plans = 8.9-9.1, logs = 8.7 on a 10-point scale) and similar across both health literacy groups. The majority of qualitative responses were positive (81.8%) and code counts were comparable between literacy groups with a few exceptions. As compared with high health literacy respondents, low health literacy respondents more frequently mentioned liking the content and length of IVR calls, liking the motivational aspects of the personal action plans, and identified numeracy issues with the self-monitoring logs. Overall, applying a health literacy universal precautions approach is an effective and acceptable strategy for both high and low health literacy groups. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Factors affecting the stability of visual function following cessation of occlusion therapy for amblyopia.

PubMed

Tacagni, Daniel J; Stewart, Catherine E; Moseley, Merrick J; Fielder, Alistair R

2007-06-01

To identify factors that predict which children with amblyopia are at greatest risk of regression of visual acuity (VA) following the cessation of occlusion therapy. A retrospective analysis was performed of 182 children (mean age at cessation of treatment; 5.9+/-1.6 years) who had undergone occlusion therapy for unilateral amblyopia, and had been followed up at least once within 15 months of cessation. Statistical analysis was used to identify whether change in VA following treatment cessation had any association with various factors, including the child's age, type of amblyopia, degree of anisometropia, initial severity of amblyopia, binocular vision status, length and dose of occlusion therapy, and VA response to treatment. At 1 year, follow-up from treatment cessation, children with "mixed" amblyopia (both anisometropia and strabismus) demonstrated significantly (p=0.03) greater deterioration in VA (0.11+/-0.11 log units) than children with only anisometropia (0.02+/-0.08 log units) or only strabismus (0.05+/-0.10 log units). However, none of the other factors investigated were found to be significant predictors. This study supports previous research that it is possible to identify those children most at risk of deterioration in VA following cessation of occlusion therapy. The presence of mixed amblyopia was the only risk factor identified in this study. Management of amblyopia should take this into account, with a more intensive follow-up recommended for those with both anisometropia and strabismus (mixed) amblyopia.

Estimating the population density of the Asian tapir (Tapirus indicus) in a selectively logged forest in Peninsular Malaysia.

PubMed

Rayan, D Mark; Mohamad, Shariff Wan; Dorward, Leejiah; Aziz, Sheema Abdul; Clements, Gopalasamy Reuben; Christopher, Wong Chai Thiam; Traeholt, Carl; Magintan, David

2012-12-01

The endangered Asian tapir (Tapirus indicus) is threatened by large-scale habitat loss, forest fragmentation and increased hunting pressure. Conservation planning for this species, however, is hampered by a severe paucity of information on its ecology and population status. We present the first Asian tapir population density estimate from a camera trapping study targeting tigers in a selectively logged forest within Peninsular Malaysia using a spatially explicit capture-recapture maximum likelihood based framework. With a trap effort of 2496 nights, 17 individuals were identified corresponding to a density (standard error) estimate of 9.49 (2.55) adult tapirs/100 km(2) . Although our results include several caveats, we believe that our density estimate still serves as an important baseline to facilitate the monitoring of tapir population trends in Peninsular Malaysia. Our study also highlights the potential of extracting vital ecological and population information for other cryptic individually identifiable animals from tiger-centric studies, especially with the use of a spatially explicit capture-recapture maximum likelihood based framework. © 2012 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd, ISZS and IOZ/CAS.

What We Have Learned From the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study.

PubMed

Gordon, Mae O; Kass, Michael A

2018-05-01

To identify results from the Ocular Hypertension Study that can aid patients and clinicians to make evidence-based decisions about the management of ocular hypertension. Perspective. At 60 months, the cumulative frequency of developing primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) was 4.4% in the medication group and 9.5% in the observation group (hazard ratio for medication, 0.40; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27-0.59; P < .0001). At 13 years the cumulative proportion of participants who developed POAG was 0.22 (95% CI 0.19-0.25) in the original observation group and 0.16 (95% CI 0.13-0.19) in the original medication group (complementary log-log x 2 P = .009). A 5-factor model (older age, higher IOP, thinner central corneal thickness, larger cup-to-disc ratio, and higher visual field pattern standard deviation) separated participants at high and low risk of developing POAG. Clinicians and patients can make evidence-based decisions about the management of ocular hypertension using the risk model and considering patient age, medical status, life expectancy, and personal preference. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Assessing digital literacy in web-based physical activity surveillance: the WIN study.

PubMed

Mathew, Merly; Morrow, James R; Frierson, Georita M; Bain, Tyson M

2011-01-01

PURPOSE. Investigate relations between demographic characteristics and submission method, Internet or paper, when physical activity behaviors are reported. DESIGN. Observational. SETTING . Metropolitan. SUBJECTS. Adult women (N  =  918) observed weekly for 2 years (total number of weekly reports, 44,963). MEASURES. Independent variables included age, race, education, income, employment status, and Internet skills. Dependent variables were method of submission (Internet or paper) and adherence. ANALYSIS . Logistic regression to analyze weekly odds of submitting data online and meeting study adherence criteria. Model 1 investigated method of submission, model 2 analyzed meeting study's Internet adherence, and model 3 analyzed meeting total adherence regardless of submission method. RESULTS. Whites, those with good Internet skills, and those reporting higher incomes were more likely to log online. Those who were white, older, and reported good Internet skills were more likely to be at least 75% adherent online. Older women were more likely to be adherent regardless of method. Employed women were less likely to log online or be adherent. CONCLUSION . Providing participants with multiple submission methods may reduce potential bias and provide more generalizable results relevant for future Internet-based research.

Django Remote Submission

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

Doucet, Mathieu; Hobson, Tanner C.; Ferraz Leal, Ricardo Miguel

The Django Remote Submission (DRS) is a Django (Django, n.d.) application to manage long running job submission, including starting the job, saving logs, and storing results. It is an independent project available as a standalone pypi package (PyPi, n.d.). It can be easily integrated in any Django project. The source code is freely available as a GitHub repository (django-remote-submission, n.d.). To run the jobs in background, DRS takes advantage of Celery (Celery, n.d.), a powerful asynchronous job queue used for running tasks in the background, and the Redis Server (Redis, n.d.), an in-memory data structure store. Celery uses brokers tomore » pass messages between a Django Project and the Celery workers. Redis is the message broker of DRS. In addition DRS provides real time monitoring of the progress of Jobs and associated logs. Through the Django Channels project (Channels, n.d.), and the usage of Web Sockets, it is possible to asynchronously display the Job Status and the live Job output (standard output and standard error) on a web page.« less

Neutrophil extracellular trap formation and extracellular DNA in sputum of stable COPD patients.

PubMed

Pedersen, Frauke; Marwitz, Sebastian; Holz, Olaf; Kirsten, Anne; Bahmer, Thomas; Waschki, Benjamin; Magnussen, Helgo; Rabe, Klaus F; Goldmann, Torsten; Uddin, Mohib; Watz, Henrik

2015-10-01

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by neutrophilic airway inflammation. Neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation - a meshwork of neutrophil DNA components and neutrophil enzymes are involved in innate immunity and inflammation. Little is known about the presence of these structures in induced sputum from stable COPD patients. Induced sputum samples of 23 COPD patients and 10 healthy controls were collected. Sputum cells were harvested, cultivated and stained for NET components. Extracellular DNA was quantified using a NanoDrop 2000 spectrophotometer. NET formation was markedly upregulated in COPD sputum compared with healthy controls, irrespective of sputum purulence or smoking status. NET formation was associated with significantly higher concentration of extracellular DNA in sputum supernatant (484 ng/μl in COPD versus 268 ng/μl in controls, p = 0.013). Log-transformed extracellular DNA correlated with log-transformed absolute neutrophil numbers in sputum (r = 0.60; p < 0.001) and airway obstruction (r = -0.43; p = 0.013). NET formation associated with higher concentrations of extracellular DNA may be a pathobiological feature of COPD-derived sputum neutrophils. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A flexible system for vital signs monitoring in hospital general care wards based on the integration of UNIX-based workstations, standard networks and portable vital signs monitors.

PubMed

Welch, J P; Sims, N; Ford-Carlton, P; Moon, J B; West, K; Honore, G; Colquitt, N

1991-01-01

The article describes a study conducted on general surgical and thoracic surgical floors of a 1000-bed hospital to assess the impact of a new network for portable patient care devices. This network was developed to address the needs of hospital patients who need constant, multi-parameter, vital signs surveillance, but do not require intensive nursing care. Bedside wall jacks were linked to UNIX-based workstations using standard digital network hardware, creating a flexible system (for general care floors of the hospital) that allowed the number of monitored locations to increase and decrease as patient census and acuity levels varied. It also allowed the general care floors to provide immediate, centralized vital signs monitoring for patients who unexpectedly became unstable, and permitted portable monitors to travel with patients as they were transferred between hospital departments. A disk-based log within the workstation automatically collected performance data, including patient demographics, monitor alarms, and network status for analysis. The log has allowed the developers to evaluate the use and performance of the system.

Knowing and doing: research leading to action in the conservation of forest genetic diversity of Patagonian temperate forests.

PubMed

Gallo, Leonardo A; Marchelli, Paula; Chauchard, Luis; Peñalba, Marcelo Gonzalez

2009-08-01

Researchers dealing with conservation subjects usually do not put the results of their work into practice, even when the primary purpose of their research is the preservation of biodiversity. In the South American temperate forests we identified an area with the highest genetic diversity in Argentina of Nothofagus nervosa, one of the most relevant southern beech species. Based on the information of our scientific study and our recommendations, the authorities of Lanin National Park changed the protection status of this area to avoid logging. The new forestry management plans include consideration of "high genetic diversity" in decisions on where logging will be allowed. Results of our initial genetic study induced the analysis of biodiversity at the species and ecosystems levels, which yielded results similar to our genetic studies. A strong connection among researchers and managers from the onset of our study and the awareness of the former about the importance of the implementation of the research work were key to bridging the gap between conservation research and conservation practice.

Django Remote Submission

DOE PAGES

Doucet, Mathieu; Hobson, Tanner C.; Ferraz Leal, Ricardo Miguel

2017-08-01

The Django Remote Submission (DRS) is a Django (Django, n.d.) application to manage long running job submission, including starting the job, saving logs, and storing results. It is an independent project available as a standalone pypi package (PyPi, n.d.). It can be easily integrated in any Django project. The source code is freely available as a GitHub repository (django-remote-submission, n.d.). To run the jobs in background, DRS takes advantage of Celery (Celery, n.d.), a powerful asynchronous job queue used for running tasks in the background, and the Redis Server (Redis, n.d.), an in-memory data structure store. Celery uses brokers tomore » pass messages between a Django Project and the Celery workers. Redis is the message broker of DRS. In addition DRS provides real time monitoring of the progress of Jobs and associated logs. Through the Django Channels project (Channels, n.d.), and the usage of Web Sockets, it is possible to asynchronously display the Job Status and the live Job output (standard output and standard error) on a web page.« less

Energy availability discriminates clinical menstrual status in exercising women.

PubMed

Reed, Jennifer L; De Souza, Mary Jane; Mallinson, Rebecca J; Scheid, Jennifer L; Williams, Nancy I

2015-01-01

Conditions of low energy availability (EA) (<30 kcal/kgLBM) have been associated with suppressed metabolic hormones and reductions in LH pulsatility in previously sedentary women during short-term manipulations of energy intake (EI) and exercise energy expenditure (EEE) in a controlled laboratory setting. The purpose of this study was to examine if EA, defined as EA = (EI-EEE)/kgLBM, is associated with disruptions in ovarian function in exercising women. Menstrual status was confirmed with daily measures of urinary reproductive metabolites across 1-3 menstrual cycles or 28-day monitoring periods. EA was calculated for exercise days using EI from 3-day diet logs, EEE from heart-rate monitors and/or exercise logs for a 7-day period, and body composition from DXA. Resting energy expenditure (REE) was measured by indirect calorimetry. Total triiodothyronine (TT3) was measured from a fasting blood sample. 91 exercising women (23.1 ± 0.5 years) were categorized clinically as either exercising amenorrheic (ExAmen, n = 30), exercising oligomenorrheic (ExOligo, n = 20) or exercising eumenorrheic (ExEumen, n = 41). The eumenorrheic group was further divided into more specific subclinical groups as either exercising ovulatory (ExOv, n = 20), exercising inconsistent (ExIncon, n = 13), or exercising anovulatory (ExAnov, n = 8). An EA threshold of 30 kcal/kgLBM did not distinguish subclinical menstrual status (χ (2) = 0.557, p = 0.46) nor did EA differ across subclinical disturbance groups (p > 0.05). EA was lower in the ExAmen vs. ExEumen (30.9 ± 2.4 vs. 36.9 ± 1.7 kcal/kgLBM, p = 0.04). The ratio of REE/predicted REE was lower in the ExAmen vs. ExEumen (0.85 ± 0.02 vs. 0.92 ± 0.01, p = 0.001) as was TT3 (79.6 ± 4.1 vs. 95.3 ± 2.9 ng/mL, p = 0.002). EA did not differ among subclinical forms of menstrual disturbances in a large sample of exercising women, but EA did discriminate clinical menstrual status, i.e., amenorrhea from eumenorrhea.

Spectroscopy of hot subdwarf binaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kreuzer, Simon; Irrgang, Andreas; Heber, Ulrich

2018-06-01

We present a status report of our spectroscopic analysis of subdwarf binaries consisting of a subdwarf and a F/G/K-type main-sequence companion. These systems selected from SDSS photometry show significant excess in the (infra-)red which can not be explained by interstellar reddening. Inspection of SDSS spectra revealed that most of them are composite spectrum sdB binaries. Once their spectra are disentangled, a detailed spectral analysis can be carried out. It reveals Teff, log g and the metal abundance of each individual star. The cool companion is of particular interest, because its spectrum reveals the original chemical composition of the binary.

Marital status is an independent prognostic factor for tracheal cancer patients: an analysis of the SEER database.

PubMed

Li, Mu; Dai, Chen-Yang; Wang, Yu-Ning; Chen, Tao; Wang, Long; Yang, Ping; Xie, Dong; Mao, Rui; Chen, Chang

2016-11-22

Although marital status is an independent prognostic factor in many cancers, its prognostic impact on tracheal cancer has not yet been determined. The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between marital status and survival in patients with tracheal cancer. Compared with unmarried patients (42.67%), married patients (57.33%) had better 5-year OS (25.64% vs. 35.89%, p = 0.009) and 5-year TCSS (44.58% vs. 58.75%, p = 0.004). Results of multivariate analysis indicated that marital status is an independent prognostic factor, with married patients showing better OS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64-0.95, p = 0.015) and TCSS (HR = 0.70, 95% CI 0.54-0.91, p = 0.008). In addition, subgroup analysis suggested that marital status plays a more important role in the TCSS of patients with non-low-grade malignant tumors (HR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.53-0.93, p = 0.015). We extracted 600 cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Variables were compared by Pearson chi-squared test, t-test, log-rank test, and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Overall survival (OS) and tracheal cancer-specific survival (TCSS) were compared between subgroups with different pathologic features and tumor stages. Marital status is an independent prognostic factor for survival in patients with tracheal cancer. For that reason, additional social support may be needed for unmarried patients, especially those with non-low-grade malignant tumors.

Qualitative and quantitative characteristics of near-infrared autofluorescence in diabetic macular edema.

PubMed

Yoshitake, Shin; Murakami, Tomoaki; Horii, Takahiro; Uji, Akihito; Ogino, Ken; Unoki, Noriyuki; Nishijima, Kazuaki; Yoshimura, Nagahisa

2014-05-01

To study the characteristics of near-infrared autofluorescence (NIR-AF) imaging and its association with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) findings and logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) visual acuity (VA) in diabetic macular edema (DME). Retrospective, observational, cross-sectional study. One hundred twenty-one consecutive eyes of 87 patients with center-involved DME for whom NIR-AF and SD-OCT images of sufficient quality were obtained. The NIR-AF images were acquired using Heidelberg Retina Angiograph 2 (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany), and sectional retinal images were obtained using Spectralis OCT (Heidelberg Engineering). The presence of a mosaic pattern and cystoid signs were determined qualitatively. We quantified the average fluorescence intensity in the central 1-mm subfield. The characteristics of the NIR-AF images were compared with the OCT findings and logMAR VA. Qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the NIR-AF images and their association with SD-OCT findings and logMAR VA. Fifty-seven eyes with a mosaic pattern in the NIR-AF macular images had worse logMAR VA (0.355±0.239 vs. 0.212±0.235; P = 0.001), a thicker central subfield (CSF) (530±143 μm vs. 438±105 μm; P <0.001), and disrupted external limiting membrane (ELM; P <0.001) compared with 64 eyes without these findings. Forty-one eyes with a cystoid sign in the NIR-AF images had worse logMAR VA (0.393±0.233 vs. 0.221±0.234; P <0.001) and a thicker CSF (557±155 μm vs. 443±100 μm; P <0.001) than those without them; there were no significant differences in the ELM status. The relative fluorescence intensity in the central subfield in the NIR-AF images was correlated negatively with the CSF thickness and logMAR VA (R = 0.492, P <0.001 and R = 0.377, P <0.001, respectively). Eyes with foveal serous retinal detachment had lower levels of relative fluorescence intensity than those without it (0.751±0.191 vs. 0.877±0.154; P = 0.007); there was no association with the presence of foveal cystoid spaces, disrupted ELM, or hyperreflective foci in the outer retinal layers. Novel qualitative and quantitative NIR-AF characteristics in the macula indicated the clinical relevance and suggested the pathogenesis in DME. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Predicting effects of structural stress in a genome-reduced model bacterial metabolism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Güell, Oriol; Sagués, Francesc; Serrano, M. Ángeles

2012-08-01

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is a human pathogen recently proposed as a genome-reduced model for bacterial systems biology. Here, we study the response of its metabolic network to different forms of structural stress, including removal of individual and pairs of reactions and knockout of genes and clusters of co-expressed genes. Our results reveal a network architecture as robust as that of other model bacteria regarding multiple failures, although less robust against individual reaction inactivation. Interestingly, metabolite motifs associated to reactions can predict the propagation of inactivation cascades and damage amplification effects arising in double knockouts. We also detect a significant correlation between gene essentiality and damages produced by single gene knockouts, and find that genes controlling high-damage reactions tend to be expressed independently of each other, a functional switch mechanism that, simultaneously, acts as a genetic firewall to protect metabolism. Prediction of failure propagation is crucial for metabolic engineering or disease treatment.

Web-based Electronic Sharing and RE-allocation of Assets

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

Leverett, Dave; Miller, Robert A.; Berlin, Gary J.

2002-09-09

The Electronic Asses Sharing Program is a web-based application that provides the capability for complex-wide sharing and reallocation of assets that are excess, under utilized, or un-utilized. through a web-based fron-end and supporting has database with a search engine, users can search for assets that they need, search for assets needed by others, enter assets they need, and enter assets they have available for reallocation. In addition, entire listings of available assets and needed assets can be viewed. The application is written in Java, the hash database and search engine are in Object-oriented Java Database Management (OJDBM). The application willmore » be hosted on an SRS-managed server outside the Firewall and access will be controlled via a protected realm. An example of the application can be viewed at the followinig (temporary) URL: http://idgdev.srs.gov/servlet/srs.weshare.WeShare« less

Hawking radiation, the Stefan-Boltzmann law, and unitarization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giddings, Steven B.

2016-03-01

Where does Hawking radiation originate? A common picture is that it arises from excitations very near or at the horizon, and this viewpoint has supported the ;firewall; argument and arguments for a key role for the UV-dependent entanglement entropy in describing the quantum mechanics of black holes. However, closer investigation of both the total emission rate and the stress tensor of Hawking radiation supports the statement that its source is a near-horizon quantum region, or ;atmosphere,; whose radial extent is set by the horizon radius scale. This is potentially important, since Hawking radiation needs to be modified to restore unitarity, and a natural assumption is that the scales relevant to such modifications are comparable to those governing the Hawking radiation. Moreover, related discussion suggests a resolution to questions regarding extra energy flux in ;nonviolent; scenarios, that does not spoil black hole thermodynamics as governed by the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy.

A Design of a Network Model to the Electric Power Trading System Using Web Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maruo, Tomoaki; Matsumoto, Keinosuke; Mori, Naoki; Kitayama, Masashi; Izumi, Yoshio

Web services are regarded as a new application paradigm in the world of the Internet. On the other hand, many business models of a power trading system has been proposed to aim at load reduction by consumers cooperating with electric power suppliers in an electric power market. Then, we propose a network model of power trading system using Web service in this paper. The adaptability of Web services to power trading system was checked in the prototype of our network model and we got good results for it. Each server provides functions as a SOAP server, and it is coupled loosely with each other through SOAP. Storing SOAP message in HTTP packet can establish the penetration communication way that is not conscious of a firewall. Switching of a dynamic server is possible by means of rewriting the server point information on WSDL at the time of obstacle generating.

High-Temperature Graphite/Phenolic Composite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seal, Ellis C.; Bodepudi, Venu P.; Biggs, Robert W., Jr.; Cranston, John A.

1995-01-01

Graphite-fiber/phenolic-resin composite material retains relatively high strength and modulus of elasticity at temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees F. Costs only 5 to 20 percent as much as refractory materials. Fabrication composite includes curing process in which application of full autoclave pressure delayed until after phenolic resin gels. Curing process allows moisture to escape, so when composite subsequently heated in service, much less expansion of absorbed moisture and much less tendency toward delamination. Developed for nose cone of external fuel tank of Space Shuttle. Other potential aerospace applications for material include leading edges, parts of nozzles, parts of aircraft engines, and heat shields. Terrestrial and aerospace applications include structural firewalls and secondary structures in aircraft, spacecraft, and ships. Modified curing process adapted to composites of phenolic with other fiber reinforcements like glass or quartz. Useful as high-temperature circuit boards and electrical insulators.

Quantum entanglement in de Sitter space with a wall and the decoherence of bubble universes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albrecht, Andreas; Kanno, Sugumi; Sasaki, Misao

2018-04-01

We study the effect of a bubble wall on the entanglement entropy of a free massive scalar field between two causally disconnected open charts in de Sitter space. We assume there is a delta-functional wall between the open charts. This can be thought of as a model of pair creation of bubble universes in de Sitter space. We first derive the Euclidean vacuum mode functions of the scalar field in the presence of the wall in the coordinates that respect the open charts. We then derive the Bogoliubov transformation between the Euclidean vacuum and the open chart vacua that makes the reduced density matrix diagonal. We find that larger walls lead to less entanglement. Our result may be regarded as evidence of decoherence of bubble universes from each other. We also note an interesting relationship between our results and discussions of the black hole firewall problem.

Verification of Security Policy Enforcement in Enterprise Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gupta, Puneet; Stoller, Scott D.

Many security requirements for enterprise systems can be expressed in a natural way as high-level access control policies. A high-level policy may refer to abstract information resources, independent of where the information is stored; it controls both direct and indirect accesses to the information; it may refer to the context of a request, i.e., the request’s path through the system; and its enforcement point and enforcement mechanism may be unspecified. Enforcement of a high-level policy may depend on the system architecture and the configurations of a variety of security mechanisms, such as firewalls, host login permissions, file permissions, DBMS access control, and application-specific security mechanisms. This paper presents a framework in which all of these can be conveniently and formally expressed, a method to verify that a high-level policy is enforced, and an algorithm to determine a trusted computing base for each resource.

A web-based remote radiation treatment planning system using the remote desktop function of a computer operating system: a preliminary report.

PubMed

Suzuki, Keishiro; Hirasawa, Yukinori; Yaegashi, Yuji; Miyamoto, Hideki; Shirato, Hiroki

2009-01-01

We developed a web-based, remote radiation treatment planning system which allowed staff at an affiliated hospital to obtain support from a fully staffed central institution. Network security was based on a firewall and a virtual private network (VPN). Client computers were installed at a cancer centre, at a university hospital and at a staff home. We remotely operated the treatment planning computer using the Remote Desktop function built in to the Windows operating system. Except for the initial setup of the VPN router, no special knowledge was needed to operate the remote radiation treatment planning system. There was a time lag that seemed to depend on the volume of data traffic on the Internet, but it did not affect smooth operation. The initial cost and running cost of the system were reasonable.

Black hole thermodynamics based on unitary evolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yu-Lei; Chen, Yi-Xin

2015-10-01

In this paper, we try to construct black hole thermodynamics based on the fact that the formation and evaporation of a black hole can be described by quantum unitary evolutions. First, we show that the Bekenstein-Hawking entropy SBH may not be a Boltzmann or thermal entropy. To confirm this statement, we show that the original black hole's ‘first law’ may not simply be treated as the first law of thermodynamics formally, due to some missing metric perturbations caused by matter. Then, by including those (quantum) metric perturbations, we show that the black hole formation and evaporation can be described effectively in a unitary manner, through a quantum channel between the exterior and interior of the event horizon. In this way, the paradoxes of information loss and firewall can be resolved effectively. Finally, we show that black hole thermodynamics can be constructed in an ordinary way, by constructing statistical mechanics.

Charge loss (or the lack thereof) for AdS black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ong, Yen Chin; Chen, Pisin

2014-06-01

The evolution of evaporating charged black holes is complicated to model in general, but is nevertheless important since the hints to the Information Loss Paradox and its recent firewall incarnation may lie in understanding more generic geometries than that of Schwarzschild spacetime. Fortunately, for sufficiently large asymptotically flat Reissner-Nordström black holes, the evaporation process can be modeled via a system of coupled linear ordinary differential equations, with charge loss rate governed by Schwinger pair-production process. The same model can be generalized to study the evaporation of AdS Reissner-Nordström black holes with flat horizon. It was recently found that such black holes always evolve towards extremality since charge loss is inefficient. This property is completely opposite to the asymptotically flat case in which the black hole eventually loses its charges and tends towards Schwarzschild limit. We clarify the underlying reason for this different behavior.

Black hole and cosmos with multiple horizons and multiple singularities in vector-tensor theories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Changjun; Lu, Youjun; Yu, Shuang; Shen, You-Gen

2018-05-01

A stationary and spherically symmetric black hole (e.g., Reissner-Nordström black hole or Kerr-Newman black hole) has, at most, one singularity and two horizons. One horizon is the outer event horizon and the other is the inner Cauchy horizon. Can we construct static and spherically symmetric black hole solutions with N horizons and M singularities? The de Sitter cosmos has only one apparent horizon. Can we construct cosmos solutions with N horizons? In this article, we present the static and spherically symmetric black hole and cosmos solutions with N horizons and M singularities in the vector-tensor theories. Following these motivations, we also construct the black hole solutions with a firewall. The deviation of these black hole solutions from the usual ones can be potentially tested by future measurements of gravitational waves or the black hole continuum spectrum.

Cybersecurity, massive data processing, community interaction, and other developments at WWW-based computational X-ray Server

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stepanov, Sergey

2013-03-01

X-Ray Server (x-server.gmca.aps.anl.gov) is a WWW-based computational server for modeling of X-ray diffraction, reflection and scattering data. The modeling software operates directly on the server and can be accessed remotely either from web browsers or from user software. In the later case the server can be deployed as a software library or a data fitting engine. As the server recently surpassed the milestones of 15 years online and 1.5 million calculations, it accumulated a number of technical solutions that are discussed in this paper. The developed approaches to detecting physical model limits and user calculations failures, solutions to spam and firewall problems, ways to involve the community in replenishing databases and methods to teach users automated access to the server programs may be helpful for X-ray researchers interested in using the server or sharing their own software online.

Defense on the Move: Ant-Based Cyber Defense

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

Fink, Glenn A.; Haack, Jereme N.; McKinnon, Archibald D.

Many common cyber defenses (like firewalls and IDS) are as static as trench warfare allowing the attacker freedom to probe them at will. The concept of Moving Target Defense (MTD) adds dynamism to the defender side, but puts the systems to be defended themselves in motion, potentially at great cost to the defender. An alternative approach is a mobile resilient defense that removes attackers’ ability to rely on prior experience without requiring motion in the protected infrastructure itself. The defensive technology absorbs most of the cost of motion, is resilient to attack, and is unpredictable to attackers. The Ant-Based Cybermore » Defense (ABCD) is a mobile resilient defense providing a set of roaming, bio-inspired, digital-ant agents working with stationary agents in a hierarchy headed by a human supervisor. The ABCD approach provides a resilient, extensible, and flexible defense that can scale to large, multi-enterprise infrastructures like the smart electric grid.« less

An Efficient Conflict Detection Algorithm for Packet Filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Chun-Liang; Lin, Guan-Yu; Chen, Yaw-Chung

Packet classification is essential for supporting advanced network services such as firewalls, quality-of-service (QoS), virtual private networks (VPN), and policy-based routing. The rules that routers use to classify packets are called packet filters. If two or more filters overlap, a conflict occurs and leads to ambiguity in packet classification. This study proposes an algorithm that can efficiently detect and resolve filter conflicts using tuple based search. The time complexity of the proposed algorithm is O(nW+s), and the space complexity is O(nW), where n is the number of filters, W is the number of bits in a header field, and s is the number of conflicts. This study uses the synthetic filter databases generated by ClassBench to evaluate the proposed algorithm. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can achieve better performance than existing conflict detection algorithms both in time and space, particularly for databases with large numbers of conflicts.

SU-G-BRB-04: Automated Output Factor Measurements Using Continuous Data Logging for Linac Commissioning

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

Zhu, X; Li, S; Zheng, D

Purpose: Linac commissioning is a time consuming and labor intensive process, the streamline of which is highly desirable. In particular, manual measurement of output factors for a variety of field sizes and energy greatly hinders the commissioning efficiency. In this study, automated measurement of output factors was demonstrated as ‘one-click’ using data logging of an electrometer. Methods: Beams to be measured were created in the recording and verifying (R&V) system and configured for continuous delivery. An electrometer with an automatic data logging feature enabled continuous data collection for all fields without human intervention. The electrometer saved data into a spreadsheetmore » every 0.5 seconds. A Matlab program was developed to analyze the excel data to monitor and check the data quality. Results: For each photon energy, output factors were measured for five configurations, including open field and four wedges. Each configuration includes 72 fields sizes, ranging from 4×4 to 20×30 cm{sup 2}. Using automation, it took 50 minutes to complete the measurement of 72 field sizes, in contrast to 80 minutes when using the manual approach. The automation avoided the necessity of redundant Linac status checks between fields as in the manual approach. In fact, the only limiting factor in such automation is Linac overheating. The data collection beams in the R&V system are reusable, and the simplified process is less error-prone. In addition, our Matlab program extracted the output factors faithfully from data logging, and the discrepancy between the automatic and manual measurement is within ±0.3%. For two separate automated measurements 30 days apart, consistency check shows a discrepancy within ±1% for 6MV photon with a 60 degree wedge. Conclusion: Automated output factor measurements can save time by 40% when compared with conventional manual approach. This work laid ground for further improvement for the automation of Linac commissioning.« less

Air-sea exchange and gas-particle partitioning of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons over the northwestern Pacific Ocean: Role of East Asian continental outflow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Z.; Guo, Z.

2017-12-01

We measured 15 parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in atmosphere and water during a research cruise from the East China Sea (ECS) to the northwestern Pacific Ocean (NWP) in the spring of 2015 to investigate the occurrence, air-sea gas exchange, and gas-particle partitioning of PAHs with a particular focus on the influence of East Asian continental outflow. The gaseous PAH composition and identification of sources were consistent with PAHs from the upwind area, indicating that the gaseous PAHs (three- to five-ring PAHs) were influenced by upwind land pollution. In addition, air-sea exchange fluxes of gaseous PAHs were estimated to be -54.2 to 107.4 ng m-2 d-1, and was indicative of variations of land-based PAH inputs. The logarithmic gas-particle partition coefficient (logKp) of PAHs regressed linearly against the logarithmic subcooled liquid vapor pressure, with a slope of -0.25. This was significantly larger than the theoretical value (-1), implying disequilibrium between the gaseous and particulate PAHs over the NWP. The non-equilibrium of PAH gas-particle partitioning was shielded from the volatilization of three-ring gaseous PAHs from seawater and lower soot concentrations in particular when the oceanic air masses prevailed. Modeling PAH absorption into organic matter and adsorption onto soot carbon revealed that the status of PAH gas-particle partitioning deviated more from the modeling Kp for oceanic air masses than those for continental air masses, which coincided with higher volatilization of three-ring PAHs and confirmed the influence of air-sea exchange. Meanwhile, significant linear regressions between logKp and logKoa (logKsa) for PAHs were observed for continental air masses, suggesting the dominant effect of East Asian continental outflow on atmospheric PAHs over the NWP during the sampling campaign.

Longer-term Stream Nitrogen Dynamics after Wildfire and Salvage Harvesting: Implications for Management Concepts based on Trajectories of Post-disturbance Watershed Recovery.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silins, U.; Emelko, M. B.; Bladon, K. D.; Stone, M.; Williams, C.; Martens, A. M.; Wagner, M. J.

2015-12-01

Biogeochemical processes reflecting interaction of vegetation and hydrology govern long-term export of nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and carbon over successional time scales. While management concepts of watershed "recovery" from disturbance back towards pre-disturbance conditions are often considered over much shorter timescales, few studies have directly explored watershed biogeochemical responses to disturbance long enough to directly document the longer-term trajectory of responses to severe land disturbance on nitrogen export. The objectives of this study were to document both the initial magnitude and patterns of longer-term recovery of stream nitrogen after the 2003 Lost Creek wildfire over nine years in front ranges of the Rocky Mountains in south-west Alberta, Canada. The study was conducted in seven instrumented catchments (4-14 km2), including burned, burned and salvage logged, and unburned (reference) conditions since 2004. Total nitrogen (TN) and nitrate (NO3-) concentrations and area-normalized yields were greater and more variable in burned and post-fire salvage logged catchments when compared with unburned catchments. Large initial increases in stream TN and NO3- production 1-3 years after both wildfire and post-fire salvage logging declined strongly to levels similar to, or below that of unburned watersheds 4-6 years after the fire, and continued to decline (although more slowly) 7-9 years after the wildfire. Post-fire salvage logging produced lower impacts on TN and NO3- in streams and these effects declined even more rapidly compared to the effects of wildfire alone. These changes closely corresponded to the early trajectory of establishment and rapid juvenile growth of post-fire regenerating forest vegetation in both catchment groups. While the concept of hydrologic recovery from disturbance is both a practical and meaningful concept for integrated landscape management for protection of forest water resources, the benchmark for "recovery" based on present conditions in undisturbed forests may vary widely depending on forest age and successional status.

Prognostic Factors for Survival in Patients with Gastric Cancer using a Random Survival Forest

PubMed

Adham, Davoud; Abbasgholizadeh, Nategh; Abazari, Malek

2017-01-01

Background: Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the third top cause of cancer related death with about 1 million new cases and 700,000 deaths in 2012. The aim of this investigation was to identify important factors for outcome using a random survival forest (RSF) approach. Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 128 gastric cancer patients through a historical cohort study in Hamedan-Iran from 2007 to 2013. The event under consideration was death due to gastric cancer. The random survival forest model in R software was applied to determine the key factors affecting survival. Four split criteria were used to determine importance of the variables in the model including log-rank, conversation?? of events, log-rank score, and randomization. Efficiency of the model was confirmed in terms of Harrell’s concordance index. Results: The mean age of diagnosis was 63 ±12.57 and mean and median survival times were 15.2 (95%CI: 13.3, 17.0) and 12.3 (95%CI: 11.0, 13.4) months, respectively. The one-year, two-year, and three-year rates for survival were 51%, 13%, and 5%, respectively. Each RSF approach showed a slightly different ranking order. Very important covariates in nearly all the 4 RSF approaches were metastatic status, age at diagnosis and tumor size. The performance of each RSF approach was in the range of 0.29-0.32 and the best error rate was obtained by the log-rank splitting rule; second, third, and fourth ranks were log-rank score, conservation of events, and the random splitting rule, respectively. Conclusion: Low survival rate of gastric cancer patients is an indication of absence of a screening program for early diagnosis of the disease. Timely diagnosis in early phases increases survival and decreases mortality. Creative Commons Attribution License

CHEK2*1100delC Heterozygosity in Women With Breast Cancer Associated With Early Death, Breast Cancer–Specific Death, and Increased Risk of a Second Breast Cancer

PubMed Central

Weischer, Maren; Nordestgaard, Børge G.; Pharoah, Paul; Bolla, Manjeet K.; Nevanlinna, Heli; van't Veer, Laura J.; Garcia-Closas, Montserrat; Hopper, John L.; Hall, Per; Andrulis, Irene L.; Devilee, Peter; Fasching, Peter A.; Anton-Culver, Hoda; Lambrechts, Diether; Hooning, Maartje; Cox, Angela; Giles, Graham G.; Burwinkel, Barbara; Lindblom, Annika; Couch, Fergus J.; Mannermaa, Arto; Grenaker Alnæs, Grethe; John, Esther M.; Dörk, Thilo; Flyger, Henrik; Dunning, Alison M.; Wang, Qin; Muranen, Taru A.; van Hien, Richard; Figueroa, Jonine; Southey, Melissa C.; Czene, Kamila; Knight, Julia A.; Tollenaar, Rob A.E.M.; Beckmann, Matthias W.; Ziogas, Argyrios; Christiaens, Marie-Rose; Collée, Johanna Margriet; Reed, Malcolm W.R.; Severi, Gianluca; Marme, Frederik; Margolin, Sara; Olson, Janet E.; Kosma, Veli-Matti; Kristensen, Vessela N.; Miron, Alexander; Bogdanova, Natalia; Shah, Mitul; Blomqvist, Carl; Broeks, Annegien; Sherman, Mark; Phillips, Kelly-Anne; Li, Jingmei; Liu, Jianjun; Glendon, Gord; Seynaeve, Caroline; Ekici, Arif B.; Leunen, Karin; Kriege, Mieke; Cross, Simon S.; Baglietto, Laura; Sohn, Christof; Wang, Xianshu; Kataja, Vesa; Børresen-Dale, Anne-Lise; Meyer, Andreas; Easton, Douglas F.; Schmidt, Marjanka K.; Bojesen, Stig E.

2012-01-01

Purpose We tested the hypotheses that CHEK2*1100delC heterozygosity is associated with increased risk of early death, breast cancer–specific death, and risk of a second breast cancer in women with a first breast cancer. Patients and Methods From 22 studies participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium, 25,571 white women with invasive breast cancer were genotyped for CHEK2*1100delC and observed for up to 20 years (median, 6.6 years). We examined risk of early death and breast cancer–specific death by estrogen receptor status and risk of a second breast cancer after a first breast cancer in prospective studies. Results CHEK2*1100delC heterozygosity was found in 459 patients (1.8%). In women with estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer, multifactorially adjusted hazard ratios for heterozygotes versus noncarriers were 1.43 (95% CI, 1.12 to 1.82; log-rank P = .004) for early death and 1.63 (95% CI, 1.24 to 2.15; log-rank P < .001) for breast cancer–specific death. In all women, hazard ratio for a second breast cancer was 2.77 (95% CI, 2.00 to 3.83; log-rank P < .001) increasing to 3.52 (95% CI, 2.35 to 5.27; log-rank P < .001) in women with estrogen receptor–positive first breast cancer only. Conclusion Among women with estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer, CHEK2*1100delC heterozygosity was associated with a 1.4-fold risk of early death, a 1.6-fold risk of breast cancer–specific death, and a 3.5-fold risk of a second breast cancer. This is one of the few examples of a genetic factor that influences long-term prognosis being documented in an extensive series of women with breast cancer. PMID:23109706

Endobronchial Ultrasound for Nodal Staging of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients with Radiologically Normal Mediastinum: A Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

El-Osta, Hazem; Jani, Pushan; Mansour, Ali; Rascoe, Philip; Jafri, Syed

2018-04-23

An accurate assessment of the mediastinal lymph nodes status is essential in the staging and treatment planning of potentially resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We performed this meta-analysis to evaluate the role of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in detecting occult mediastinal disease in NSCLC with no radiologic mediastinal involvement. The PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane libraries were searched for studies describing the role of EBUS-TBNA in lung cancer patients with radiologically negative mediastinum. The individual and pooled sensitivity, prevalence, negative predictive value (NPV), and diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) were calculated using the random effects model. Metaregression analysis, heterogeneity, and publication bias were also assessed. A total of 13 studies that met the inclusion criteria were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled effect size of the different diagnostic parameters were estimated as follows: prevalence, 12.8% (95% CI, 10.4%-15.7%); sensitivity, 49.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 36.4%-62.6%); NPV, 93.0% (95% CI, 90.3%-95.0%); and log DOR, 5.069 (95% CI, 4.212-5.925). Significant heterogeneity was noticeable for the sensitivity, disease prevalence, and NPV, but not observed for log DOR. Publication bias was detected for sensitivity, NPV and log DOR but not for prevalence. Bivariate meta-regression analysis showed no significant association between the pooled calculated parameters and the type of anesthesia, imaging utilized to define negative mediastinum, rapid on-site test usage, and presence of bias by QUADAS-2 tool. Interestingly, we observed a greater sensitivity, NPV and log DOR for studies published prior to 2010, and for prospective multicenter studies. Among NSCLC patients with a radiologically normal mediastinum, the prevalence of mediastinal disease is 12.8% and the sensitivity of EBUS-TBNA is 49.5%. Despite the low sensitivity, the resulting NPV of 93.0% for EBUS-TBNA suggests that mediastinal metastasis is uncommon in such patients.

Microbiological Food Safety Status of Commercially Produced Tomatoes from Production to Marketing.

PubMed

van Dyk, Brigitte N; de Bruin, Willeke; du Plessis, Erika M; Korsten, Lise

2016-03-01

Tomatoes have been implicated in various microbial disease outbreaks and are considered a potential vehicle for foodborne pathogens. Traceback studies mostly implicate contamination during production and/or processing. The microbiological quality of commercially produced tomatoes was thus investigated from the farm to market, focusing on the impact of contaminated irrigation and washing water, facility sanitation, and personal hygiene. A total of 905 samples were collected from three largescale commercial farms from 2012 through 2014. The farms differed in water sources used (surface versus well) and production methods (open field versus tunnel). Levels of total coliforms and Escherichia coli and prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella Typhimurium were determined. Dominant coliforms were identified using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. No pathogens or E. coli were detected on any of the tomatoes tested throughout the study despite the high levels of coliforms (4.2 to 6.2 log CFU/g) present on the tomatoes at the market. The dominant species associated with tomatoes belonged to the genera Enterobacter, Klebsiella, and Citrobacter. Water used on the farm for irrigation considered not fit for purpose according to national agricultural irrigation standards, with high E. coli levels resulting from either a highly contaminated source water (river water at 3.19 log most probable number [MPN]/100 ml) or improper storage of source water (stored well water at 1.72 log MPN/100 ml). Salmonella Typhimurium was detected on two occasions on a contact surface in the processing facility of the first farm in 2012. Contact surface coliform counts were 2.9 to 4.8 log CFU/cm(2). Risk areas identified in this study were water used for irrigation and poor sanitation practices in the processing facility. Implementation of effective food safety management systems in the fresh produce industry is of the utmost importance to ensure product safety for consumers.

CHEK2*1100delC heterozygosity in women with breast cancer associated with early death, breast cancer-specific death, and increased risk of a second breast cancer.

PubMed

Weischer, Maren; Nordestgaard, Børge G; Pharoah, Paul; Bolla, Manjeet K; Nevanlinna, Heli; Van't Veer, Laura J; Garcia-Closas, Montserrat; Hopper, John L; Hall, Per; Andrulis, Irene L; Devilee, Peter; Fasching, Peter A; Anton-Culver, Hoda; Lambrechts, Diether; Hooning, Maartje; Cox, Angela; Giles, Graham G; Burwinkel, Barbara; Lindblom, Annika; Couch, Fergus J; Mannermaa, Arto; Grenaker Alnæs, Grethe; John, Esther M; Dörk, Thilo; Flyger, Henrik; Dunning, Alison M; Wang, Qin; Muranen, Taru A; van Hien, Richard; Figueroa, Jonine; Southey, Melissa C; Czene, Kamila; Knight, Julia A; Tollenaar, Rob A E M; Beckmann, Matthias W; Ziogas, Argyrios; Christiaens, Marie-Rose; Collée, Johanna Margriet; Reed, Malcolm W R; Severi, Gianluca; Marme, Frederik; Margolin, Sara; Olson, Janet E; Kosma, Veli-Matti; Kristensen, Vessela N; Miron, Alexander; Bogdanova, Natalia; Shah, Mitul; Blomqvist, Carl; Broeks, Annegien; Sherman, Mark; Phillips, Kelly-Anne; Li, Jingmei; Liu, Jianjun; Glendon, Gord; Seynaeve, Caroline; Ekici, Arif B; Leunen, Karin; Kriege, Mieke; Cross, Simon S; Baglietto, Laura; Sohn, Christof; Wang, Xianshu; Kataja, Vesa; Børresen-Dale, Anne-Lise; Meyer, Andreas; Easton, Douglas F; Schmidt, Marjanka K; Bojesen, Stig E

2012-12-10

We tested the hypotheses that CHEK2*1100delC heterozygosity is associated with increased risk of early death, breast cancer-specific death, and risk of a second breast cancer in women with a first breast cancer. From 22 studies participating in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium, 25,571 white women with invasive breast cancer were genotyped for CHEK2*1100delC and observed for up to 20 years (median, 6.6 years). We examined risk of early death and breast cancer-specific death by estrogen receptor status and risk of a second breast cancer after a first breast cancer in prospective studies. CHEK2*1100delC heterozygosity was found in 459 patients (1.8%). In women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, multifactorially adjusted hazard ratios for heterozygotes versus noncarriers were 1.43 (95% CI, 1.12 to 1.82; log-rank P = .004) for early death and 1.63 (95% CI, 1.24 to 2.15; log-rank P < .001) for breast cancer-specific death. In all women, hazard ratio for a second breast cancer was 2.77 (95% CI, 2.00 to 3.83; log-rank P < .001) increasing to 3.52 (95% CI, 2.35 to 5.27; log-rank P < .001) in women with estrogen receptor-positive first breast cancer only. Among women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer, CHEK2*1100delC heterozygosity was associated with a 1.4-fold risk of early death, a 1.6-fold risk of breast cancer-specific death, and a 3.5-fold risk of a second breast cancer. This is one of the few examples of a genetic factor that influences long-term prognosis being documented in an extensive series of women with breast cancer.

Secondhand smoke exposure is associated with smoke-free laws but not urban/rural status.

PubMed

Lee, Kiyoung; Hwang, Yunhyung; Hahn, Ellen J; Bratset, Hilarie; Robertson, Heather; Rayens, Mary Kay

2015-05-01

The objective was to determine secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure with and without smoke-free laws in urban and rural communities. The research hypothesis was that SHS exposure in public places could be improved by smoke-free law regardless of urban and rural status. Indoor air quality in hospitality venues was assessed in 53 communities (16 urban and 37 rural) before smoke-free laws; 12 communities passed smoke-free laws during the study period. Real-time measurements of particulate matter with 2.5 µm aerodynamic diameter or smaller (PM2.5) were taken 657 times from 586 distinct venues; about 71 venues had both pre- and post-law measurements. Predictors of log-transformed PM2.5 level were determined using multilevel modeling. With covariates of county-level percent minority population, percent with at least high school education, adult smoking rate, and venue-level smoker density, indoor air quality was associated with smoke-free policy status and venue type and their interaction. The geometric means for restaurants, bars, and other public places in communities without smoke-free policies were 22, 63, and 25 times higher than in those with smoke-free laws, respectively. Indoor air quality was not associated with urban status of venue, and none of the interactions involving urban status were significant. SHS exposure in public places did not differ by urban/rural status. Indoor air quality was associated with smoke-free law status and venue type. This study analyzed 657 measurements of indoor PM2.5 level in 53 communities in Kentucky, USA. Although indoor air quality in public places was associated with smoke-free policy status and venue type, it did not differ by urban and rural status. The finding supports the idea that population in rural communities can be protected with smoke-free policy. Therefore, it is critical to implement smoke-free policy in rural communities as well as urban areas.

A distributed research network model for post-marketing safety studies: the Meningococcal Vaccine Study.

PubMed

Velentgas, Priscilla; Bohn, Rhonda L; Brown, Jeffrey S; Chan, K Arnold; Gladowski, Patricia; Holick, Crystal N; Kramer, Judith M; Nakasato, Cynthia; Spettell, Claire M; Walker, Alexander M; Zhang, Fang; Platt, Richard

2008-12-01

We describe a multi-center post-marketing safety study that uses distributed data methods to minimize the need for covered entities to share protected health information (PHI). Implementation has addressed several issues relevant to creation of a large scale post-marketing drug safety surveillance system envisioned by the FDA's Sentinel Initiative. This retrospective cohort study of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) following meningococcal conjugate vaccination incorporates the data and analytic expertise of five research organizations closely affiliated with US health insurers. The study uses administrative claims data, plus review of full text medical records to adjudicate the status of individuals with a diagnosis code for GBS (ICD9 357.0). A distributed network approach is used to create the analysis files and to perform most aspects of the analysis, allowing nearly all of the data to remain behind institutional firewalls. Pooled analysis files transferred to a central site will contain one record per person for approximately 0.2% of the study population, and contain PHI limited to the month and year of GBS onset for cases or the index date for matched controls. The first planned data extraction identified over 9 million eligible adolescents in the target age range of 11-21 years. They contributed an average of 14 months of eligible time on study over 27 months of calendar time. MCV4 vaccination coverage levels exceeded 20% among 17-18-year olds and 16% among 11-13 and 14-16-year-old age groups by the second quarter of 2007. This study demonstrates the feasibility of using a distributed data network approach to perform large scale post-marketing safety analyses and is scalable to include additional organizations and data sources. We believe these results can inform the development of a large national surveillance system. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Socioeconomic Status and Body Mass Index Among Hispanic Children of Immigrants and Children of Natives

PubMed Central

Van Hook, Jennifer

2009-01-01

Objectives. We examined how Hispanic parents' income and education, combined with their nativity status, influenced the body mass index (BMI) of their children, compared with non-Hispanic White children and their parents. Methods. We used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 to estimate linear growth curve models of children's initial BMI in kindergarten and change in BMI through fifth grade. Socioeconomic status was measured by logged household income and parental educational attainment (less than high school, high school graduate, some college, college graduate or higher). Results. Parental education was negatively associated with children's BMI (baseline and growth) for non-Hispanic White children. Among Hispanic children, the association of parental education with growth in BMI was negative but much weaker. The weak effect of parental education was not explained by the presence of immigrants in the Hispanic population. Income was strongly negatively associated with children's BMI in kindergarten among children of Hispanic and White natives, but positively associated among Hispanic immigrant families. Conclusions. The positive income–BMI association among Hispanic immigrant children might reflect cultural differences that immigrant parents carry with them from their countries of origin. PMID:19846690

Disadvantage of survival outcomes in widowed patients with colorectal neuroendocrine neoplasm: an analysis of surveillance, epidemiology and end results database.

PubMed

Li, Jing; Wang, Ying; Han, Fang; Wang, Zhu; Xu, Lichun; Tong, Jiandong

2016-12-13

Marital status correlates with health. Our goal was to examine the impact of marital status on the survival outcomes of patients with colorectal neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results program was used to identify 1,289 eligible patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2010 with colorectal NENs. Statistical analyses were performed using Chi-square, Kaplan-Meier, and Cox regression proportional hazards methods. Patients in the widowed group had the highest proportion of larger tumor (>2cm), and higher ratio of poor grade (Grade III and IV) and more tumors at advanced stage (P<0.05). The 5-year cause specific survival (CSS) was 76% in the married group, 51% in the widowed group, 73% in the single group, and 72% in the divorced/separated group, which manifest statistically significant difference in the univariate log-rank test and Cox regression model (P<0.05). Furthermore, marital status was an independent prognostic factor only in Distant stage (P<0.001). In conclusion, patients in widowed group were at greater risk of cancer specific mortality from colorectal NENs and social support may lead to improved outcomes for patients with NENs.

Metabolic acidosis status and mortality in patients on the end stage of renal disease.

PubMed

Raikou, Vaia D

2016-12-01

Uncorrected metabolic acidosis leads to higher death risk in dialysis patients. We observed the relationship between metabolic acidosis status and mortality rate in patients on renal replacement therapy during a median follow up time of 60 months. We studied 76 patients on an on-line hemodiafiltration. The dialysis adequacy was defined by Kt/V for urea. The Framingham risk score (FRS) points were used to determine the 10-year risk for coronary heart disease. We examined the impact of high or low serum bicarbonate concentrations on mortality rate and on 10-year risk for coronary heart disease via the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox's model was used to evaluate a combination of prognostic variables, such as dialysis adequacy defined by Kt/V for urea, age and serum bicarbonate concentrations. We divided the enrolled patients in three groups according to serum bicarbonate concentrations (< 20 mmol/L, 20-22 mmol/L and > 22 mmol/L). Kaplan-Meier survival curve for the impact of serum bicarbonate concentrations on overall mortality was found significant (log-rank = 7.8, P = 0.02). The prevalence of serum bicarbonate less or more than 20 mmol/L on high FRS (> 20%) by Kaplan-Meier curve was also found significant (log-rank = 4.9, P = 0.02). Cox's model revealed the significant predictive effect of serum bicarbonate on overall mortality ( P = 0.006, OR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.12-1.98) in combination to Kt/V for urea and age. Uncorrected severe metabolic acidosis, defined by serum bicarbonate concentrations less than 20 mmol/L, is associated with a 10-year risk for coronary heart disease more than 20% and high overall mortality in patients on renal replacement therapy.

Energy requirements of adult dogs: a meta-analysis.

PubMed

Bermingham, Emma N; Thomas, David G; Cave, Nicholas J; Morris, Penelope J; Butterwick, Richard F; German, Alexander J

2014-01-01

A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the maintenance energy requirements of adult dogs. Suitable publications were first identified, and then used to generate relationships amongst energy requirements, husbandry, activity level, methodology, sex, neuter status, dog size, and age in healthy adult dogs. Allometric equations for maintenance energy requirements were determined using log-log linear regression. So that the resulting equations could readily be compared with equations reported by the National Research Council, maintenance energy requirements in the current study were determined in kcal/kg(0.75) body weight (BW). Ultimately, the data of 70 treatment groups from 29 publications were used, and mean (± standard deviation) maintenance energy requirements were 142.8±55.3 kcal·kgBW(-0.75)·day(-1). The corresponding allometric equation was 81.5 kcal·kgBW(-0.9)·day(-1) (adjusted R2 = 0.64; 70 treatment groups). Type of husbandry had a significant effect on maintenance energy requirements (P<0.001): requirements were greatest in racing dogs, followed by working dogs and hunting dogs, whilst the energy requirements of pet dogs and kennel dogs were least. Maintenance energy requirements were less in neutered compared with sexually intact dogs (P<0.001), but there was no effect of sex. Further, reported activity level tended to effect the maintenance energy requirement of the dog (P = 0.09). This review suggests that estimating maintenance energy requirements based on BW alone may not be accurate, but that predictions that factor in husbandry, neuter status and, possibly, activity level might be superior. Additionally, more information on the nutrient requirements of older dogs, and those at the extremes of body size (i.e. giant and toy breeds) is needed.

High-biomass forests of the Pacific Northwest: who manages them and how much is protected?

PubMed

Krankina, Olga N; DellaSala, Dominick A; Leonard, Jessica; Yatskov, Mikhail

2014-07-01

To examine ownership and protection status of forests with high-biomass stores (>200 Mg/ha) in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) region of the United States, we used the latest versions of publicly available datasets. Overlay, aggregation, and GIS-based computation of forest area in broad biomass classes in the PNW showed that the National Forests contained the largest area of high-biomass forests (48.4 % of regional total), but the area of high-biomass forest on private lands was important as well (22.8 %). Between 2000 and 2008, the loss of high-biomass forests to fire on the National Forests was 7.6 % (236,000 ha), while the loss of high-biomass forest to logging on private lands (364,000 ha) exceeded the losses to fire across all ownerships. Many remaining high-biomass forest stands are vulnerable to future harvest as only 20 % are strictly protected from logging, while 26 % are not protected at all. The level of protection for high-biomass forests varies by state, for example, 31 % of all high-biomass federal forests in Washington are in high-protection status compared to only 9 % in Oregon. Across the conterminous US, high-biomass forest covers <3 % of all forest land and the PNW region holds 56.8 % of this area or 5.87 million ha. Forests with high-biomass stores are important to document and monitor as they are scarce, often threatened by harvest and development, and their disturbance including timber harvest results in net C losses to the atmosphere that can take a new generation of trees many decades or centuries to offset.

Energy Requirements of Adult Dogs: A Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Bermingham, Emma N.; Thomas, David G.; Cave, Nicholas J.; Morris, Penelope J.; Butterwick, Richard F.; German, Alexander J.

2014-01-01

A meta-analysis was conducted to determine the maintenance energy requirements of adult dogs. Suitable publications were first identified, and then used to generate relationships amongst energy requirements, husbandry, activity level, methodology, sex, neuter status, dog size, and age in healthy adult dogs. Allometric equations for maintenance energy requirements were determined using log-log linear regression. So that the resulting equations could readily be compared with equations reported by the National Research Council, maintenance energy requirements in the current study were determined in kcal/kg0.75 body weight (BW). Ultimately, the data of 70 treatment groups from 29 publications were used, and mean (± standard deviation) maintenance energy requirements were 142.8±55.3 kcal.kgBW−0.75.day−1. The corresponding allometric equation was 81.5 kcal.kgBW−0.93.day−1 (adjusted R2 = 0.64; 70 treatment groups). Type of husbandry had a significant effect on maintenance energy requirements (P<0.001): requirements were greatest in racing dogs, followed by working dogs and hunting dogs, whilst the energy requirements of pet dogs and kennel dogs were least. Maintenance energy requirements were less in neutered compared with sexually intact dogs (P<0.001), but there was no effect of sex. Further, reported activity level tended to effect the maintenance energy requirement of the dog (P = 0.09). This review suggests that estimating maintenance energy requirements based on BW alone may not be accurate, but that predictions that factor in husbandry, neuter status and, possibly, activity level might be superior. Additionally, more information on the nutrient requirements of older dogs, and those at the extremes of body size (i.e. giant and toy breeds) is needed. PMID:25313818

Gene Methylation and Cytological Atypia in Random Fine-Needle Aspirates for Assessment of Breast Cancer Risk.

PubMed

Stearns, Vered; Fackler, Mary Jo; Hafeez, Sidra; Bujanda, Zoila Lopez; Chatterton, Robert T; Jacobs, Lisa K; Khouri, Nagi F; Ivancic, David; Kenney, Kara; Shehata, Christina; Jeter, Stacie C; Wolfman, Judith A; Zalles, Carola M; Huang, Peng; Khan, Seema A; Sukumar, Saraswati

2016-08-01

Methods to determine individualized breast cancer risk lack sufficient sensitivity to select women most likely to benefit from preventive strategies. Alterations in DNA methylation occur early in breast cancer. We hypothesized that cancer-specific methylation markers could enhance breast cancer risk assessment. We evaluated 380 women without a history of breast cancer. We determined their menopausal status or menstrual cycle phase, risk of developing breast cancer (Gail model), and breast density and obtained random fine-needle aspiration (rFNA) samples for assessment of cytopathology and cumulative methylation index (CMI). Eight methylated gene markers were identified through whole-genome methylation analysis and included novel and previously established breast cancer detection genes. We performed correlative and multivariate linear regression analyses to evaluate DNA methylation of a gene panel as a function of clinical factors associated with breast cancer risk. CMI and individual gene methylation were independent of age, menopausal status or menstrual phase, lifetime Gail risk score, and breast density. CMI and individual gene methylation for the eight genes increased significantly (P < 0.001) with increasing cytological atypia. The findings were verified with multivariate analyses correcting for age, log (Gail), log (percent density), rFNA cell number, and body mass index. Our results demonstrate a significant association between cytological atypia and high CMI, which does not vary with menstrual phase or menopause and is independent of Gail risk and mammographic density. Thus, CMI is an excellent candidate breast cancer risk biomarker, warranting larger prospective studies to establish its utility for cancer risk assessment. Cancer Prev Res; 9(8); 673-82. ©2016 AACR. ©2016 American Association for Cancer Research.

Changes of Serum Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Activity During Treatment of Patients with Graves’ Disease*

PubMed Central

Lee, Dong Soo; Chung, June-Key; Cho, Bo Youn; Koh, Chang-Soon; Lee, Munho

1986-01-01

Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme activity was measured spectrophotometrically, and serum thyrotropin-binding-inhibitory immunoglobulin (TBII) activity was measured by radioreceptor assay in normal subjects and in patients with Graves’ disease serially before and during treatment, and these activities were compared with each other and with thyroid hormone levels in various thyroid functional status. Correlation between serum angiotensin-converting enzyme activity and serum thyroid hormone level was pursued with relation to the changes of thyroid functional status in patients with Graves’ disease during treatment. Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme activity was significantly elevated in patients with hyperthyroid Graves’ disease before the start of treatment (35 ± 13 nmol/min/ml, n=50), and not in patients with Graves’ disease, euthyroid state during treatment with antithyroid drugs or radioactive iodine (23 ± 9 nmol/min/ml, n=12), but decreased significantly in patients with Graves’ disease, hypothyroid state transiently during treatment (15 ± 4 nmol/min/ml, n=12), respectively in comparison with normal control subjects. Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme activity was positively correlated with the log value of serum T3 concentration (r=0.62, p<0.001, n=95), and with the log value of free thyroxine index (r=0.66, p<0.001, n=91) but not statistically significantly with serum TBII activity. Serum angiotensin-converting enzyme activity was followed in 11 patients with initially increased activity and the activity decreased in proportion to serum thyroid hormone level during treatment, irrespective of treatment modality. It is suggested that thyroid hormones play a role in the increase and decrease of serum angiotensin-converting enzyme activity directly or indirectly influencing the peripheral tissues (probably reticuloendothelial cells or peripheral endothelial cells) in patients with Graves’ disease. PMID:15759385

Morphometric body condition indices of wild Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harshaw, Lauren T.; Larkin, Iskande V.; Bonde, Robert K.; Deutsch, Charles J.; Hill, Richard C.

2016-01-01

In many species, body weight (W) increases geometrically with body length (L), so W/L3 provides a body condition index (BCI) that can be used to evaluate nutritional status once a normal range has been established. No such index has been established for Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris). This study was designed to determine a normal range of BCIs of Florida manatees by comparing W in kg with straight total length (SL), curvilinear total length (CL), and umbilical girth (UG) in m for 146 wild manatees measured during winter health assessments at three Florida locations. Small calves to large adults of SL from 1.47 to 3.23 m and W from 77 to 751 kg were compared. BCIs were significantly greater in adult females than in adult males (p < 0.05). W scaled proportionally to L3 in females but not in males, which were slimmer than females. The logarithms of W and of each linear measurement were regressed to develop amended indices that allow for sex differences. The regression slope for log W against log SL was 2.915 in females and 2.578 in males; W/SL2.915 ranged from 18.9 to 29.6 (mean 23.2) in females and from 24.6 to 37.3 (mean 29.8) in males. Some BCIs were slightly (4%), but significantly (p ≤ 0.05), higher for females in Crystal River than in Tampa Bay or Indian River, but there was no evidence of geographic variation in condition among males. These normal ranges should help evaluate the nutritional status of both wild and rehabilitating captive manatees.

Is the Young Star RZ Piscium Consuming Its Own (Planetary) Offspring?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Punzi, K. M.; Kastner, J. H.; Melis, C.; Zuckerman, B.; Pilachowski, C.; Gingerich, L.; Knapp, T.

2018-01-01

The erratically variable star RZ Piscium (RZ Psc) displays extreme optical dropout events and strikingly large excess infrared emission. To ascertain the evolutionary status of this intriguing star, we obtained observations of RZ Psc with the European Space Agency’s X-ray Multi-Mirror Mission (XMM-Newton), as well as high-resolution optical spectroscopy with the Hamilton Echelle on the Lick Shane 3 m telescope and with HIRES on the Keck I 10 m telescope. The optical spectroscopy data demonstrate that RZ Psc is a pre-main sequence star with an effective temperature of 5600 ± 75 K and log g of 4.35 ± 0.10. The ratio of X-ray to bolometric luminosity, {log}{L}X/{L}{bol}, lies in the range ‑3.7 to ‑3.2, consistent with ratios typical of young, solar-mass stars, thereby providing strong support for the young star status of RZ Psc. The Li absorption line strength of RZ Psc suggests an age in the range 30–50 Myr, which in turn implies that RZ Psc lies at a distance of ∼170 pc. Adopting this estimated distance, we find the Galactic space velocity of RZ Psc to be similar to the space velocities of stars in young moving groups near the Sun. Optical spectral features indicative of activity and/or circumstellar material are present in our spectra over multiple epochs, which provide evidence for the presence of a significant mass of circumstellar gas associated with RZ Psc. We suggest that the destruction of one or more massive orbiting bodies has recently occurred within 1 au of the star, and we are viewing the aftermath of such an event along the plane of the orbiting debris.

Precarious employment and the risk of serious psychological distress: a population-based cohort study in Japan.

PubMed

Kachi, Yuko; Otsuka, Toshiaki; Kawada, Tomoyuki

2014-09-01

This study examines whether precarious employment increases the risk of serious psychological distress (SPD) in a nationally representative cohort of Japanese middle-aged people. From 2005-2009, we followed 8486 male and 6736 female participants (aged 50-59 years) in the Longitudinal Survey of Middle-aged and Elderly Persons. All individuals were employed and free of SPD, cardiovascular disease, and cancer at baseline. The participants were classified into two groups based on their baseline employment contract: precarious and full-time permanent work. SPD was assessed at each year during the study, using the K6 scale, a self-rated 6-item scale that screens for mood or anxiety disorders. We used discrete-time survival analysis, with a complementary log-log link, to examine the effect of precarious employment on SPD incidence. During a maximum follow-up period of four years, 374 men and 364 women developed SPD. Male precarious employees were more likely to develop SPD than male full-time permanent employees (hazard ratio 1.79, 95% confidence interval 1.28-2.51) in the full model, after adjusting for sociodemographic and occupational factors, cardiovascular disease risk, and K6 scores at baseline. By contrast, no significant association was observed among female employees. However, an analysis stratified by marital status revealed an association similar to that found among men but only among unmarried women. The findings suggest that precarious employment is associated with double the risk of SPD incidence among middle-aged Japanese men and - when stratified by marital status - among unmarried women. This highlights a major gender difference in the association between precarious employment and risk of SPD.

Monitoring operational data production applying Big Data tooling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Som de Cerff, Wim; de Jong, Hotze; van den Berg, Roy; Bos, Jeroen; Oosterhoff, Rijk; Klein Ikkink, Henk Jan; Haga, Femke; Elsten, Tom; Verhoef, Hans; Koutek, Michal; van de Vegte, John

2015-04-01

Within the KNMI Deltaplan programme for improving the KNMI operational infrastructure an new fully automated system for monitoring the KNMI operational data production systems is being developed: PRISMA (PRocessflow Infrastructure Surveillance and Monitoring Application). Currently the KNMI operational (24/7) production systems consist of over 60 applications, running on different hardware systems and platforms. They are interlinked for the production of numerous data products, which are delivered to internal and external customers. All applications are individually monitored by different applications, complicating root cause and impact analysis. Also, the underlying hardware and network is monitored separately using Zabbix. Goal of the new system is to enable production chain monitoring, which enables root cause analysis (what is the root cause of the disruption) and impact analysis (what other products will be effected). The PRISMA system will make it possible to dispose all the existing monitoring applications, providing one interface for monitoring the data production. For modeling the production chain, the Neo4j Graph database is used to store and query the model. The model can be edited through the PRISMA web interface, but is mainly automatically provided by the applications and systems which are to be monitored. The graph enables us to do root case and impact analysis. The graph can be visualized in the PRISMA web interface on different levels. Each 'monitored object' in the model will have a status (OK, error, warning, unknown). This status is derived by combing all log information available. For collecting and querying the log information Splunk is used. The system is developed using Scrum, by a multi-disciplinary team consisting of analysts, developers, a tester and interaction designer. In the presentation we will focus on the lessons learned working with the 'Big data' tooling Splunk and Neo4J.

The effect of vitamin A and zinc supplementation on treatment outcomes in pulmonary tuberculosis: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Visser, Marianne E; Grewal, Harleen Ms; Swart, Elizabeth C; Dhansay, Muhammad A; Walzl, Gerhard; Swanevelder, Sonja; Lombard, Carl; Maartens, Gary

2011-01-01

Low serum concentrations of vitamin A and zinc are common in tuberculosis and may have an adverse effect on host cell-mediated responses. The role of adjunctive micronutrient supplementation on treatment outcomes is uncertain. The objective was to assess the efficacy of vitamin A and zinc supplementation on sputum smear and culture conversion and time to culture detection in adults with sputum smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis. Participants attending a primary care tuberculosis clinic in Cape Town, South Africa, were randomly assigned to receive micronutrients (single dose of 200,000 IU retinyl palmitate plus 15 mg Zn/d for 8 wk) or matching placebo. Sputum was collected weekly for 8 wk for auramine staining and culture on liquid media (BACTEC MGIT 960; Becton Dickinson, Sparks, MD). Performance status, chest radiographs, and anthropometric measures were assessed at baseline and again at 8 wk. The participants (n = 154) were randomly assigned to the micronutrient (n = 77) or placebo (n = 77) group. Twenty participants were HIV infected (13%), and 12 participants had an unknown HIV status (8%). No differences in time to smear or culture conversion were observed between the treatment groups by Kaplan-Meier analysis (P = 0.15 and P = 0.38, respectively; log-rank test). Log-logistic regression analysis found no significant group interaction effect in time to culture detection over the 8-wk period (P = 0.32). No significant differences in weight gain (2.3 ± 3.5 compared with 2.2 ± 2.4 kg, P = 0.68) or radiologic resolution were observed between the treatment groups. Supplementation with vitamin A and zinc did not affect treatment outcomes in participants with pulmonary tuberculosis at 8 wk. This trial was registered at controlled-trials.com as ISRCTN80852505.

Daily Magnesium Intake and Serum Magnesium Concentration among Japanese People

PubMed Central

Akizawa, Yoriko; Koizumi, Sadayuki; Itokawa, Yoshinori; Ojima, Toshiyuki; Nakamura, Yosikazu; Tamura, Tarou; Kusaka, Yukinori

2008-01-01

Background The vitamins and minerals that are deficient in the daily diet of a normal adult remain unknown. To answer this question, we conducted a population survey focusing on the relationship between dietary magnesium intake and serum magnesium level. Methods The subjects were 62 individuals from Fukui Prefecture who participated in the 1998 National Nutrition Survey. The survey investigated the physical status, nutritional status, and dietary data of the subjects. Holidays and special occasions were avoided, and a day when people are most likely to be on an ordinary diet was selected as the survey date. Results The mean (±standard deviation) daily magnesium intake was 322 (±132), 323 (±163), and 322 (±147) mg/day for men, women, and the entire group, respectively. The mean (±standard deviation) serum magnesium concentration was 20.69 (±2.83), 20.69 (±2.88), and 20.69 (±2.83) ppm for men, women, and the entire group, respectively. The distribution of serum magnesium concentration was normal. Dietary magnesium intake showed a log-normal distribution, which was then transformed by logarithmic conversion for examining the regression coefficients. The slope of the regression line between the serum magnesium concentration (Y ppm) and daily magnesium intake (X mg) was determined using the formula Y = 4.93 (log10X) + 8.49. The coefficient of correlation (r) was 0.29. A regression line (Y = 14.65X + 19.31) was observed between the daily intake of magnesium (Y mg) and serum magnesium concentration (X ppm). The coefficient of correlation was 0.28. Conclusion The daily magnesium intake correlated with serum magnesium concentration, and a linear regression model between them was proposed. PMID:18635902

Opportunistic MSPA Demonstration #1: Final Report

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abraham, D. S.; Finley, S. G.; Heckman, D. P.; Lay, N. E.; Lush, C. M.; MacNeal, B. E.

2015-02-01

The Opportunistic Multiple Spacecraft Per Antenna (OMSPA) concept seeks to provide smallsat missions with a low-attributed-aperture-fee technique for obtaining routine downlink in a manner that is very low cost to the Deep Space Network (DSN). Unlike traditional MSPA in which the number of spacecraft that can be supported is limited by the number of available receivers, OMSPA makes use of a digital recorder at each station that is capable of capturing IF signals from every spacecraft in the antenna beam within the frequency bands of interest. When smallsat missions see one or more opportunities to intercept the traditionally scheduled antenna beam of a "host" spacecraft, they can transmit open loop during those opportunities. Via a secure Internet site, the smallsat mission operators can then retrieve relevant portions of the digital recording for subsequent demodulation and decoding or subscribe to a service that does it for them. The demonstration discussed in this article was intended to provide prospective smallsat users and the DSN, as the prospective service provider, with demonstrable proof that the OMSPA concept is, in fact, an operationally viable means for obtaining routine downlink telemetry. To do this, the demonstration began by treating Mars Odyssey as a "smallsat" and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) as the "host" spacecraft. Using a specially created Beam Intercept Planning System (BIPS) and a DSN 7-Day Schedule Cross-Comparison (7-DSC) tool, opportunities were identified when Mars Odyssey would be transmitting while in MRO's ground antenna beam. Existing Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Science Receivers (VSRs) were used to record the Mars Odyssey downlink telemetry during these opportunities. The recordings were played back to a secure server outside the Flight Operations Network firewall, but inside the JPL firewall. The demonstration team's signal processing personnel retrieved the recordings from this secure server and downloaded them to a workstation containing an OMSPA Software Demodulator (OSD) tool that was developed to demodulate and decode the Mars Odyssey signal. Validation of the recovered data was then accomplished by comparing the transfer frames obtained through OMSPA with those recovered via Mars Odyssey's formally scheduled downlink. The demonstration successfully achieved its intended purpose. All of the above steps were accomplished within an operationally viable timeframe, with at least 99.95 percent of the transfer frames being successfully recovered from each demonstration recording.

Command and Control of Space Assets Through Internet-Based Technologies Demonstrated

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Foltz, David A.

2002-01-01

The NASA Glenn Research Center successfully demonstrated a transmission-control-protocol/ Internet-protocol- (TCP/IP) based approach to the command and control of onorbit assets over a secure network. This is a significant accomplishment because future NASA missions will benefit by using Internet-standards-based protocols. Benefits of this Internet-based space command and control system architecture include reduced mission costs and increased mission efficiency. The demonstration proved that this communications architecture is viable for future NASA missions. This demonstration was a significant feat involving multiple NASA organizations and industry. Phillip Paulsen, from Glenn's Project Development and Integration Office, served as the overall project lead, and David Foltz, from Glenn's Satellite Networks and Architectures Branch, provided the hybrid networking support for the required Internet connections. The goal was to build a network that would emulate a connection between a space experiment on the International Space Station and a researcher accessing the experiment from anywhere on the Internet, as shown. The experiment was interfaced to a wireless 802.11 network inside the demonstration area. The wireless link provided connectivity to the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) Internet Link Terminal (TILT) satellite uplink terminal located 300 ft away in a parking lot on top of a panel van. TILT provided a crucial link in this demonstration. Leslie Ambrose, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, provided the TILT/TDRSS support. The TILT unit transmitted the signal to TDRS 6 and was received at the White Sands Second TDRSS Ground Station. This station provided the gateway to the Internet. Coordination also took place at the White Sands station to install a Veridian Firewall and automated security incident measurement (ASIM) system to the Second TDRSS Ground Station Internet gateway. The firewall provides a trusted network for the simulated space experiment. A second Internet connection at the demonstration area was implemented to provide Internet connectivity to a group of workstations to serve as platforms for controlling the simulated space experiment. Installation of this Internet connection was coordinated with an Internet service provider (ISP) and local NASA Johnson Space Center personnel. Not only did this TCP/IP-based architecture prove that a principal investigator on the Internet can securely command and control on-orbit assets, it also demonstrated that valuable virtual testing of planned on-orbit activities can be conducted over the Internet prior to actual deployment in space.

Predictive value of CHFR and MLH1 methylation in human gastric cancer.

PubMed

Li, Yazhuo; Yang, Yunsheng; Lu, Youyong; Herman, James G; Brock, Malcolm V; Zhao, Po; Guo, Mingzhou

2015-04-01

Gastric carcinoma (GC) has one of the highest mortality rates of cancer diseases and has a high incidence rate in China. Palliative chemotherapy is the main treatment for advanced gastric cancer. It is necessary to compare the effectiveness and toxicities of different regimens. This study explores the possibility of methylation of DNA damage repair genes serving as a prognostic and chemo-sensitive marker in human gastric cancer. The methylation status of five DNA damage repair genes (CHFR, FANCF, MGMT, MLH1, and RASSF1A) was detected by nested methylation-specific PCR in 102 paraffin-embedded gastric cancer samples. Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used to evaluate the association of methylation status and clinic-pathological factors. The Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards models were employed to analyze the association of methylation status and chemo-sensitivity. The results indicate that CHFR, MLH1, RASSF1A, MGMT, and FANCF were methylated in 34.3% (35/102), 21.6% (22/102), 12.7% (13/102), 9.8% (10/102), and 0% (0/102) of samples, respectively. No association was found between methylation of CHFR, MLH1, RASSF1A, MGMT, or FANCF with gender, age, tumor size, tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis, and TNM stage. In docetaxel-treated gastric cancer patients, resistance to docetaxel was found in CHFR unmethylated patients by Cox proportional hazards model (HR 0.243, 95% CI, 0.069-0.859, p = 0.028), and overall survival is longer in the CHFR methylated group compared with the CHFR unmethylated group (log-rank, p = 0.036). In oxaliplatin-treated gastric cancer patients, resistance to oxaliplatin was found in MLH1 methylated patients (HR 2.988, 95% CI, 1.064-8.394, p = 0.038), and overall survival was longer in the MLH1 unmethylated group compared with the MLH1 methylated group (log-rank, p = 0.046). CHFR is frequently methylated in human gastric cancer, and CHFR methylation may serve as a docetaxel-sensitive marker. MLH1 methylation was related to oxaliplatin resistance in gastric cancer patients.

Relationships between sleep apnea, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and aortic pulse wave velocity over 18 years: the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort.

PubMed

Stein, James H; Stern, Rebecca; Barnet, Jodi H; Korcarz, Claudia E; Hagen, Erika W; Young, Terry; Peppard, Paul E

2016-05-01

The purpose of this study is to determine if apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) severity predicts future aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV) in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort. Applanation tonometry was used to derive carotid-to-femoral PWV a mean of 18 years (standard deviation 4) after overnight polysomnography. Multivariable regression models were created to describe prospective associations between baseline AHI and future PWV. The 618 adults were mean 65 (7) years old (55 % male) with a mean body mass index of 31 (7) kg/m(2) at the tonometry visit. Mean baseline AHI was 4.6 (9.7) events/h. In multiple linear regression models adjusted for age (β = 0.13/year, standard error [SE] = 0.01, p < 0.001) and sex, higher log10AHI (β = 0.43/events/h, SE = 0.18, p = 0.02) was associated with PWV. After adjustment for waist circumference (β = 0.01/cm, SE = 0.01, p = 0.05) and height, the association between baseline log10AHI and future PWV was not statistically significant (p = 0.11), although the association with age persisted unchanged. Addition of covariates such as smoking status (current smoker β = 0.66, SE = 0.22, p = 0.002), diabetes mellitus status (β = 2.89, SE = 0.59, p < 0.001), and systolic blood pressure (BP, β = 0.03/mmHg, SE = 0.01, p < 0.001) did not change the association. AHI did not interact with age or smoking status to predict PWV. A secondary analysis of nocturnal oxygen saturation parameters in 517 participants, 9 (2) years prior also did not show any significant relationships with future PWV. The prospective association between AHI and PWV is confounded by body size and influenced by smoking, diabetes mellitus, and BP. Weight management, BP control, and smoking cessation may help prevent arterial stiffening associated with obstructive sleep apnea.

FORGE Milford Digitized Geophysical Logs from Acord 1

DOE Data Explorer

Jones, Clay G.; Moore, Joseph N.

2016-03-31

This submission includes digitalized versions of the following: McCulloch Geothermal Corp Acord 1-26 Cover Letter McCulloch Geothermal Corp Acord 1-26 Drilling Plan McCulloch Geothermal Corp Acord 1-26 Bond Documents Division of Water Rights Permission to Drill Drillers Log Geothermal Data (Mud) Log Compensated Densilog - Neutron Log Dual Induction Focused Log BHC Acoustilog Differential Temperature Log Dual Induction Focused Log Gamma Ray Neutron Log Temperature Log Caliper Temperature Log (Run 3) Densilog Gamma Ray Neutron Log Temperature Log (Run 4) Compensated Densilog Sample Log (Page 1 of 2) Report of Well Driller Stratigraphic Report (J.E. Welsh) Photographs and Negatives of Acord 1-26 Well Site (7) Petrography Report (M.J. Sweeney) Cuttings Samples (21 Boxes at Utah Core Research Center)

Analysis of the Factors Affecting the Interval between Blood Donations Using Log-Normal Hazard Model with Gamma Correlated Frailties.

PubMed

Tavakol, Najmeh; Kheiri, Soleiman; Sedehi, Morteza

2016-01-01

Time to donating blood plays a major role in a regular donor to becoming continues one. The aim of this study was to determine the effective factors on the interval between the blood donations. In a longitudinal study in 2008, 864 samples of first-time donors in Shahrekord Blood Transfusion Center,  capital city of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran were selected by a systematic sampling and were followed up for five years. Among these samples, a subset of 424 donors who had at least two successful blood donations were chosen for this study and the time intervals between their donations were measured as response variable. Sex, body weight, age, marital status, education, stay and job were recorded as independent variables. Data analysis was performed based on log-normal hazard model with gamma correlated frailty. In this model, the frailties are sum of two independent components assumed a gamma distribution. The analysis was done via Bayesian approach using Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm by OpenBUGS. Convergence was checked via Gelman-Rubin criteria using BOA program in R. Age, job and education were significant on chance to donate blood (P<0.05). The chances of blood donation for the higher-aged donors, clericals, workers, free job, students and educated donors were higher and in return, time intervals between their blood donations were shorter. Due to the significance effect of some variables in the log-normal correlated frailty model, it is necessary to plan educational and cultural program to encourage the people with longer inter-donation intervals to donate more frequently.

On the move: Exploring the impact of residential mobility on cannabis use.

PubMed

Morris, Tim; Manley, David; Northstone, Kate; Sabel, Clive E

2016-11-01

A large literature exists suggesting that residential mobility leads to increased participation in risky health behaviours such as cannabis use amongst youth. However, much of this work fails to account for the impact that underlying differences between mobile and non-mobile youth have on this relationship. In this study we utilise multilevel models with longitudinal data to simultaneously estimate between-child and within-child effects in the relationship between residential mobility and cannabis use, allowing us to determine the extent to which cannabis use in adolescence is driven by residential mobility and unobserved confounding. Data come from a UK cohort, The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Consistent with previous research we find a positive association between cumulative residential mobility and cannabis use when using multilevel extensions of conventional logistic regression models (log odds: 0.94, standard error: 0.42), indicating that children who move houses are more likely to use cannabis than those who remain residentially stable. However, decomposing this relationship into within- and between-child components reveals that the conventional model is underspecified and misleading; we find that differences in cannabis use between mobile and non-mobile children are due to underlying differences between these groups (between-child log odds: 3.56, standard error: 1.22), not by a change in status of residential mobility (within-child log odds: 1.33, standard error: 1.02). Our findings suggest that residential mobility in the teenage years does not place children at an increased risk of cannabis use throughout these years. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Genetic basis for variation in plasma IL-18 levels in persons with chronic hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus-1 infections.

PubMed

Vergara, C; Thio, C; Latanich, R; Cox, A L; Kirk, G D; Mehta, S H; Busch, M; Murphy, E L; Villacres, M C; Peters, M G; French, A L; Golub, E; Eron, J; Lahiri, C D; Shrestha, S; Gustafson, D; Young, M; Anastos, K; Aouizerat, B; Kim, A Y; Lauer, G; Thomas, D L; Duggal, P

2017-03-01

Inflammasomes are multi-protein complexes integrating pathogen-triggered signaling leading to the generation of pro-inflammatory cytokines including interleukin-18 (IL-18). Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections are associated with elevated IL-18, suggesting inflammasome activation. However, there is marked person-to-person variation in the inflammasome response to HCV and HIV. We hypothesized that host genetics may explain this variation. To test this, we analyzed the associations of plasma IL-18 levels and polymorphisms in 10 genes in the inflammasome cascade. About 1538 participants with active HIV and/or HCV infection in three ancestry groups are included. Samples were genotyped using the Illumina Omni 1-quad and Omni 2.5 arrays. Linear regression analyses were performed to test the association of variants with log IL-18 including HCV and HIV infection status, and HIV RNA in each ancestry group and then meta-analyzed. Eleven highly correlated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (r 2 =0.98-1) in the IL-18-BCO2 region were significantly associated with log IL-18; each T allele of rs80011693 confers a decrease of 0.06 log pg ml -1 of IL-18 after adjusting for covariates (rs80011693; rs111311302 β=-0.06, P-value=2.7 × 10 -4 ). In conclusion, genetic variation in IL-18 is associated with IL-18 production in response to HIV and HCV infection, and may explain variability in the inflammatory outcomes of chronic viral infections.

Genetic basis for variation in plasma IL-18 levels in persons with chronic hepatitis C virus and human immunodeficiency virus-1 infections

PubMed Central

Vergara, Candelaria; Thio, Chloe; Latanich, Rachel; Cox, Andrea L.; Kirk, Gregory D.; Mehta, Shruti H.; Busch, Michael; Murphy, Edward L; Villacres, Maria C.; Peters, Marion G.; French, Audrey L.; Golub, Elizabeth; Eron, Joseph; Lahiri, Cecile Delille; Shrestha, Sadeep; Gustafson, Deborah; Young, Mary; Anastos, Kathryn; Aouizerat, Bradley; Kim, Arthur Y.; Lauer, Georg; Thomas, David L.; Duggal, Priya

2016-01-01

Inflammasomes are multi-protein complexes integrating pathogen-triggered signaling leading to the generation of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-18 (IL-18). Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV) infections are associated with elevated IL-18, suggesting inflammasome activation. However, there is marked person-to-person variation in the inflammasome response to HCV and HIV. We hypothesized that host genetics may explain this variation. To test this, we analyzed the associations of plasma IL-18 levels and polymorphisms in 10 genes in the inflammasome cascade. 1538 participants with active HIV and/or HCV infection in 3 ancestry groups are included. Samples were genotyped using the Illumina Omni 1-quad and Omni 2.5 arrays. Linear regression analyses were performed to test the association of variants with logIL-18 including HCV and HIV infection status and HIV-RNA, in each ancestry group and then meta-analyzed. Eleven highly correlated SNPs (r2=0.98-1) in the IL18-BCO2 region were significantly associated with logIL-18; Each T allele of rs80011693 confers a decrease of 0.06 log pg/mL of IL-18 after adjusting for covariates (rs80011693; rs111311302 β=-0.06, P-value=2.7×10-4). In conclusion, genetic variation in IL18 is associated with IL-18 production in response to HIV and HCV infection and may explain variability in the inflammatory outcomes of chronic viral infections. PMID:28300059

Sedentary behavior, physical activity, and concentrations of insulin among US adults.

PubMed

Ford, Earl S; Li, Chaoyang; Zhao, Guixiang; Pearson, William S; Tsai, James; Churilla, James R

2010-09-01

Time spent watching television has been linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes, all conditions characterized to some degree by hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. However, limited evidence relates screen time (watching television or using a computer) directly to concentrations of insulin. We examined the cross-sectional associations between time spent watching television or using a computer, physical activity, and serum concentrations of insulin using data from 2800 participants aged at least 20 years of the 2003-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The amount of time spent watching television and using a computer as well as physical activity was self-reported. The unadjusted geometric mean concentration of insulin increased from 6.2 microU/mL among participants who did not watch television to 10.0 microU/mL among those who watched television for 5 or more hours per day (P = .001). After adjustment for age, sex, race or ethnicity, educational status, concentration of cotinine, alcohol intake, physical activity, waist circumference, and body mass index using multiple linear regression analysis, the log-transformed concentrations of insulin were significantly and positively associated with time spent watching television (P = < .001). Reported time spent using a computer was significantly associated with log-transformed concentrations of insulin before but not after accounting for waist circumference and body mass index. Leisure-time physical activity but not transportation or household physical activity was significantly and inversely associated with log-transformed concentrations of insulin. Sedentary behavior, particularly the amount of time spent watching television, may be an important modifiable determinant of concentrations of insulin. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The Association of Patient Factors, Digital Access, and Online Behavior on Sustained Patient Portal Use: A Prospective Cohort of Enrolled Users.

PubMed

Woods, Susan S; Forsberg, Christopher W; Schwartz, Erin C; Nazi, Kim M; Hibbard, Judith H; Houston, Thomas K; Gerrity, Martha

2017-10-17

As electronic health records and computerized workflows expand, there are unprecedented opportunities to digitally connect with patients using secure portals. To realize the value of patient portals, initial reach across populations will need to be demonstrated, as well as sustained usage over time. The study aim was to identify patient factors associated with short-term and long-term portal usage after patients registered to access all portal functions. We prospectively followed a cohort of patients at a large Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facility who recently completed identity proofing to use the VA patient portal. Information collected at baseline encompassed patient factors potentially associated with portal usage, including: demographics, Internet access and use, health literacy, patient activation, and self-reported health conditions. The primary outcome was the frequency of portal log-ins during 6-month and 18-month time intervals after study enrollment. A total of 270 study participants were followed prospectively. Almost all participants (260/268, 97.0%) reported going online, typically at home (248/268, 92.5%). At 6 months, 84.1% (227/270) of participants had visited the portal, with some variation in usage across demographic and health-related subgroups. There were no significant differences in portal log-ins by age, gender, education, marital status, race/ethnicity, distance to a VA facility, or patient activation measure. Significantly higher portal usage was seen among participants using high-speed broadband at home, greater self-reported ability using the Internet, and routinely going online. By 18 months, 91% participants had logged in to the portal, and no significant associations were found between usage and demographics, health status, or patient activation. When examining portal activity between 6 and 18 months, patients who were infrequent or high portal users remained in those categories, respectively. Short-term and long-term portal usage was associated with having broadband at home, high self-rated ability when using the Internet, and overall online behavior. Digital inclusion, or ready access to the Internet and digital skills, appears to be a social determinant in patient exposure to portal services. ©Susan S Woods, Christopher W Forsberg, Erin C Schwartz, Kim M Nazi, Judith H Hibbard, Thomas K Houston, Martha Gerrity. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 17.10.2017.

Petrophysical evaluation of subterranean formations

DOEpatents

Klein, James D; Schoderbek, David A; Mailloux, Jason M

2013-05-28

Methods and systems are provided for evaluating petrophysical properties of subterranean formations and comprehensively evaluating hydrate presence through a combination of computer-implemented log modeling and analysis. Certain embodiments include the steps of running a number of logging tools in a wellbore to obtain a variety of wellbore data and logs, and evaluating and modeling the log data to ascertain various petrophysical properties. Examples of suitable logging techniques that may be used in combination with the present invention include, but are not limited to, sonic logs, electrical resistivity logs, gamma ray logs, neutron porosity logs, density logs, NRM logs, or any combination or subset thereof.

Laboratory methodologies for indicators of iron status: strengths, limitations, and analytical challenges.

PubMed

Pfeiffer, Christine M; Looker, Anne C

2017-12-01

Biochemical assessment of iron status relies on serum-based indicators, such as serum ferritin (SF), transferrin saturation, and soluble transferrin receptor (sTfR), as well as erythrocyte protoporphyrin. These indicators present challenges for clinical practice and national nutrition surveys, and often iron status interpretation is based on the combination of several indicators. The diagnosis of iron deficiency (ID) through SF concentration, the most commonly used indicator, is complicated by concomitant inflammation. sTfR concentration is an indicator of functional ID that is not an acute-phase reactant, but challenges in its interpretation arise because of the lack of assay standardization, common reference ranges, and common cutoffs. It is unclear which indicators are best suited to assess excess iron status. The value of hepcidin, non-transferrin-bound iron, and reticulocyte indexes is being explored in research settings. Serum-based indicators are generally measured on fully automated clinical analyzers available in most hospitals. Although international reference materials have been available for years, the standardization of immunoassays is complicated by the heterogeneity of antibodies used and the absence of physicochemical reference methods to establish "true" concentrations. From 1988 to 2006, the assessment of iron status in NHANES was based on the multi-indicator ferritin model. However, the model did not indicate the severity of ID and produced categorical estimates. More recently, iron status assessment in NHANES has used the total body iron stores (TBI) model, in which the log ratio of sTfR to SF is assessed. Together, sTfR and SF concentrations cover the full range of iron status. The TBI model better predicts the absence of bone marrow iron than SF concentration alone, and TBI can be analyzed as a continuous variable. Additional consideration of methodologies, interpretation of indicators, and analytic standardization is important for further improvements in iron status assessment. © 2017 American Society for Nutrition.

Disparities in emergency department visits in American children with asthma: 2006-2010.

PubMed

Zhang, Qi; Lamichhane, Rajan; Diggs, Leigh Ann

2017-09-01

This article was to examine the trends in emergency department (ED) visits for asthma among American children in 2006-2010 across sociodemographic factors, parental smoking status, and children's body weight status. We analyzed 5,535 children aged 2-17 years with current asthma in the Asthma Call-Back Survey in 2006-2010. Multivariate log binomial regression was used to examine the disparities of ED visits by demographics, socioeconomic status, parental smoking status, children's body weight status, and the level of asthma control. We controlled for average state-level air pollutants. Prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Minority children with current asthma had higher risks of ED visits compared with white children in 2009 and 2010, e.g., the PR (95% CI) for black children in 2009 was 3.64 (1.79, 7.41). Children who had current asthma and more highly educated parents experienced a higher risk of ED visits in 2007 (PRs [95% CI] = 2.15 [1.02, 4.53] and 2.97 [1.29, 6.83] for children with some college or college-graduated parents), but not significant in other years. Children with uncontrolled asthma were significantly more likely to visit the ED in 2008 (PRs [95% CI] = 2.79 [1.44, 5.41] and 6.96 [3.55, 13.64] for not-well-controlled and very poorly controlled children with asthma). Minority children with current asthma or children with uncontrolled asthma were more likely to visit EDs for asthma treatment. However, the disparities in ED visits across sociodemographics, health status, or asthma control vary in scale and significance across time. More research is needed to explain these differences.

Relationship Between Preoperative Sarcopenia Status and Immuno-nutritional Parameters in Patients with Early-stage Non-small Cell Lung Cancer.

PubMed

Shoji, Fumihiro; Matsubara, Taichi; Kozuma, Yuka; Haratake, Naoki; Akamine, Takaki; Takamori, Shinkichi; Katsura, Masakazu; Toyokawa, Gouji; Okamoto, Tatsuro; Maehara, Yoshihiko

2017-12-01

Although the skeletal muscle in the region of the third lumbar vertebra (L3) is generally assessed in order to judge sarcopenia, not every patient with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoes computed tomography including the L3 region. We hypothesized that immuno-nutritional parameters could predict the existence of sarcopenia in patients with NSCLC. The aim of this study was to retrospectively investigate the correlation between preoperative sarcopenia and immuno-nutritional parameters in patients with early-stage NSCLC. We selected 147 of patients with pathological stage I NSCLC who underwent preoperative measurement of immuno-nutritional parameters and CT including the L3 region. Preoperative sarcopenia was significantly associated with female gender (p=0.0003) and poor prognosis (p=0.0322). In Kaplan-Meier analysis of overall survival (OS) by preoperative sarcopenia status, the sarcopenic group had significantly shorter OS than the non-sarcopenic group (5-year OS: 87.27% vs. 77.37%, p=0.0131, log-rank test). In multivariate analysis, the preoperative sarcopenia status (hazard ratio=5.138; 95% confidence interval=2.305-11.676; p<0.0001) was an independent prognostic factor. Preoperative sarcopenia status was significantly related to controlling nutritional status score (p=0.0071) and Geriatric Nutritional Risk Index (GNRI) (p<0.0001). Spearman's correlation test showed good significant correlation between preoperative sarcopenia status and GNRI (r=0.348, p<0.0001). The preoperative GNRI is a simple and useful predictor for existence of preoperative sarcopenia which was associated with poor outcome in patients with early-stage NSCLC. Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

Note: Design and development of wireless controlled aerosol sampling network for large scale aerosol dispersion experiments.

PubMed

Gopalakrishnan, V; Subramanian, V; Baskaran, R; Venkatraman, B

2015-07-01

Wireless based custom built aerosol sampling network is designed, developed, and implemented for environmental aerosol sampling. These aerosol sampling systems are used in field measurement campaign, in which sodium aerosol dispersion experiments have been conducted as a part of environmental impact studies related to sodium cooled fast reactor. The sampling network contains 40 aerosol sampling units and each contains custom built sampling head and the wireless control networking designed with Programmable System on Chip (PSoC™) and Xbee Pro RF modules. The base station control is designed using graphical programming language LabView. The sampling network is programmed to operate in a preset time and the running status of the samplers in the network is visualized from the base station. The system is developed in such a way that it can be used for any other environment sampling system deployed in wide area and uneven terrain where manual operation is difficult due to the requirement of simultaneous operation and status logging.

Cumulative risk and AIDS-orphanhood: interactions of stigma, bullying and poverty on child mental health in South Africa.

PubMed

Cluver, Lucie; Orkin, Mark

2009-10-01

Research shows that AIDS-orphaned children are more likely to experience clinical-range psychological problems. Little is known about possible interactions between factors mediating these high distress levels. We assessed how food insecurity, bullying, and AIDS-related stigma interacted with each other and with likelihood of experiencing clinical-range disorder. In South Africa, 1025 adolescents completed standardised measures of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. 52 potential mediators were measured, including AIDS-orphanhood status. Logistic regressions and hierarchical log-linear modelling were used to identify interactions among significant risk factors. Food insecurity, stigma and bullying all independently increased likelihood of disorder. Poverty and stigma were found to interact strongly, and with both present, likelihood of disorder rose from 19% to 83%. Similarly, bullying interacted with AIDS-orphanhood status, and with both present, likelihood of disorder rose from 12% to 76%. Approaches to alleviating psychological distress amongst AIDS-affected children must address cumulative risk effects.

Note: Design and development of wireless controlled aerosol sampling network for large scale aerosol dispersion experiments

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

Gopalakrishnan, V.; Subramanian, V.; Baskaran, R.

2015-07-15

Wireless based custom built aerosol sampling network is designed, developed, and implemented for environmental aerosol sampling. These aerosol sampling systems are used in field measurement campaign, in which sodium aerosol dispersion experiments have been conducted as a part of environmental impact studies related to sodium cooled fast reactor. The sampling network contains 40 aerosol sampling units and each contains custom built sampling head and the wireless control networking designed with Programmable System on Chip (PSoC™) and Xbee Pro RF modules. The base station control is designed using graphical programming language LabView. The sampling network is programmed to operate in amore » preset time and the running status of the samplers in the network is visualized from the base station. The system is developed in such a way that it can be used for any other environment sampling system deployed in wide area and uneven terrain where manual operation is difficult due to the requirement of simultaneous operation and status logging.« less

Monitoring and Data Analysis for the Vadose Zone Monitoring System (VZMS), McClellan AFB. Quarterly Status Report (2/20/98 - 5/20/98)

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

Zawislanski, P.T.; Mountford, H.S.Monitoring and Data Analysis; for the Vadose Zone Monitoring System

1998-06-18

This report contains information on field and laboratory work performed between February 20th, 1998 and May 20th, 1998, at site S-7 in IC 34, at McClellan AFB. At this location, a Vadose Zone Monitoring System (VZMS) (LBNL, 1996) is currently being used to collect subsurface data including hydraulic potential, soil gas pressure, moisture content, water chemistry, gas chemistry, and temperature. This report describes: moisture content changes, based on neutron logging; gas-phase VOC concentrations; aqueous-phase VOC concentrations; temperature profiles; and installation of new instrument cluster.

Avian responses to selective logging shaped by species traits and logging practices

PubMed Central

Burivalova, Zuzana; Lee, Tien Ming; Giam, Xingli; Şekercioğlu, Çağan Hakkı; Wilcove, David S.; Koh, Lian Pin

2015-01-01

Selective logging is one of the most common forms of forest use in the tropics. Although the effects of selective logging on biodiversity have been widely studied, there is little agreement on the relationship between life-history traits and tolerance to logging. In this study, we assessed how species traits and logging practices combine to determine species responses to selective logging, based on over 4000 observations of the responses of nearly 1000 bird species to selective logging across the tropics. Our analysis shows that species traits, such as feeding group and body mass, and logging practices, such as time since logging and logging intensity, interact to influence a species' response to logging. Frugivores and insectivores were most adversely affected by logging and declined further with increasing logging intensity. Nectarivores and granivores responded positively to selective logging for the first two decades, after which their abundances decrease below pre-logging levels. Larger species of omnivores and granivores responded more positively to selective logging than smaller species from either feeding group, whereas this effect of body size was reversed for carnivores, herbivores, frugivores and insectivores. Most importantly, species most negatively impacted by selective logging had not recovered approximately 40 years after logging cessation. We conclude that selective timber harvest has the potential to cause large and long-lasting changes in avian biodiversity. However, our results suggest that the impacts can be mitigated to a certain extent through specific forest management strategies such as lengthening the rotation cycle and implementing reduced impact logging. PMID:25994673

The Use of Kosher Phenotyping for Mapping QTL Affecting Susceptibility to Bovine Respiratory Disease

PubMed Central

Eitam, Harel; Yishay, Moran; Schiavini, Fausta; Soller, Morris; Bagnato, Alessandro; Shabtay, Ariel

2016-01-01

Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in feedlot cattle, caused by multiple pathogens that become more virulent in response to stress. As clinical signs often go undetected and various preventive strategies failed, identification of genes affecting BRD is essential for selection for resistance. Selective DNA pooling (SDP) was applied in a genome wide association study (GWAS) to map BRD QTLs in Israeli Holstein male calves. Kosher scoring of lung adhesions was used to allocate 122 and 62 animals to High (Glatt Kosher) and Low (Non-Kosher) resistant groups, respectively. Genotyping was performed using the Illumina BovineHD BeadChip according to the Infinium protocol. Moving average of -logP was used to map QTLs and Log drop was used to define their boundaries (QTLRs). The combined procedure was efficient for high resolution mapping. Nineteen QTLRs distributed over 13 autosomes were found, some overlapping previous studies. The QTLRs contain polymorphic functional and expression candidate genes to affect kosher status, with putative immunological and wound healing activities. Kosher phenotyping was shown to be a reliable means to map QTLs affecting BRD morbidity. PMID:27077383

A flexible system for vital signs monitoring in hospital general care wards based on the integration of UNIX-based workstations, standard networks and portable vital signs monitors.

PubMed Central

Welch, J. P.; Sims, N.; Ford-Carlton, P.; Moon, J. B.; West, K.; Honore, G.; Colquitt, N.

1991-01-01

The article describes a study conducted on general surgical and thoracic surgical floors of a 1000-bed hospital to assess the impact of a new network for portable patient care devices. This network was developed to address the needs of hospital patients who need constant, multi-parameter, vital signs surveillance, but do not require intensive nursing care. Bedside wall jacks were linked to UNIX-based workstations using standard digital network hardware, creating a flexible system (for general care floors of the hospital) that allowed the number of monitored locations to increase and decrease as patient census and acuity levels varied. It also allowed the general care floors to provide immediate, centralized vital signs monitoring for patients who unexpectedly became unstable, and permitted portable monitors to travel with patients as they were transferred between hospital departments. A disk-based log within the workstation automatically collected performance data, including patient demographics, monitor alarms, and network status for analysis. The log has allowed the developers to evaluate the use and performance of the system. PMID:1807720

Discrepancy Reporting Management System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cooper, Tonja M.; Lin, James C.; Chatillon, Mark L.

2004-01-01

Discrepancy Reporting Management System (DRMS) is a computer program designed for use in the stations of NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) to help establish the operational history of equipment items; acquire data on the quality of service provided to DSN customers; enable measurement of service performance; provide early insight into the need to improve processes, procedures, and interfaces; and enable the tracing of a data outage to a change in software or hardware. DRMS is a Web-based software system designed to include a distributed database and replication feature to achieve location-specific autonomy while maintaining a consistent high quality of data. DRMS incorporates commercial Web and database software. DRMS collects, processes, replicates, communicates, and manages information on spacecraft data discrepancies, equipment resets, and physical equipment status, and maintains an internal station log. All discrepancy reports (DRs), Master discrepancy reports (MDRs), and Reset data are replicated to a master server at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Master DR data are replicated to all the DSN sites; and Station Logs are internal to each of the DSN sites and are not replicated. Data are validated according to several logical mathematical criteria. Queries can be performed on any combination of data.

Hardwood log grades and lumber grade yields for factory lumber logs

Treesearch

Leland F. Hanks; Glenn L. Gammon; Robert L. Brisbin; Everette D. Rast

1980-01-01

The USDA Forest Service Standard Grades for Hardwood Factory Lumber Logs are described, and lumber grade yields for 16 species and 2 species groups are presented by log grade and log diameter. The grades enable foresters, log buyers, and log sellers to select and grade those log suitable for conversion into standard factory grade lumber. By using the apropriate lumber...

Improved grading system for structural logs for log homes

Treesearch

D.W. Green; T.M. Gorman; J.W. Evans; J.F. Murphy

2004-01-01

Current grading standards for logs used in log home construction use visual criteria to sort logs into either “wall logs” or structural logs (round and sawn round timbers). The conservative nature of this grading system, and the grouping of stronger and weaker species for marketing purposes, probably results in the specification of logs with larger diameter than would...

A CORRELATION BETWEEN RADIATION TOLERANCE AND NUCLEAR SURFACE AREA

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

Iversen, S.

1962-09-22

Sparrow and Miksche (Science, 134:282) determined the dose (r/day) required to produce severe growth inhibition in 23 species of plants and found a linear relationship between log nuclear volume and log dose. The following equations hold for 6 species: log nuclear volume - 4.42 -0.82 log dose and log nuclear volume = 1.66 + 0.66 log (DNA content). If all the nuclear DNA is distributed in two peripheral zones, the equations also hold: 2(log nuclear surface area) - 1.33(log nuclear volume) - 2.21 + 0.88 log(DNA content) and 5.88-- 1.09 log dose. For the 23 species, the equation was obtained:more » 2(log nuclear surface area) = 5.41 -- 0.97 log dose. All the slopes are close to the expected value of 1.00. (D.L.C.)« less

The impact of a personal digital assistant (PDA) case log in a medical student clerkship.

PubMed

Ho, Kendall; Lauscher, Helen Novak; Broudo, Marc; Jarvis-Selinger, Sandra; Fraser, Joan; Hewes, Deborah; Scott, Ian

2009-10-01

Medical education literature emphasizes that reflection and self-audit are pivotal steps in learning and that personal digital assistants (PDAs) have potential as decision support tools. The purpose was to examine the efficacy of PDA-based resources and patient-encounter logging systems among 3rd-year medical clerks during pediatrics rotations. Students in rotations were assigned to control (using paper-based logs and references) or intervention groups (using PDA-based logs and resources). Students completed pre- and postrotation Paediatrics Competency Surveys, participated in focus groups, and were compared on year-end examination grades. Use of PDA logs far outweighed that of paper logs (1,020 PDA logs and 87 paper logs). PDA logs were ranked significantly higher in enhancing learning and reflection than paper logs (t = 2.52, p < .01). PDA logs also facilitated specific learning experiences. PDA-based patient-encounter logs appear to be effective case documentation and reflection tools. The difference in number of logs between control and intervention groups demonstrates the utility of the PDA for "point-of-care" patient logging.

What Clinical Information Is Valuable to Doctors Using Mobile Electronic Medical Records and When?

PubMed

Kim, Junetae; Lee, Yura; Lim, Sanghee; Kim, Jeong Hoon; Lee, Byungtae; Lee, Jae-Ho

2017-10-18

There has been a lack of understanding on what types of specific clinical information are most valuable for doctors to access through mobile-based electronic medical records (m-EMRs) and when they access such information. Furthermore, it has not been clearly discussed why the value of such information is high. The goal of this study was to investigate the types of clinical information that are most valuable to doctors to access through an m-EMR and when such information is accessed. Since 2010, an m-EMR has been used in a tertiary hospital in Seoul, South Korea. The usage logs of the m-EMR by doctors were gathered from March to December 2015. Descriptive analyses were conducted to explore the overall usage patterns of the m-EMR. To assess the value of the clinical information provided, the usage patterns of both the m-EMR and a hospital information system (HIS) were compared on an hourly basis. The peak usage times of the m-EMR were defined as continuous intervals having normalized usage values that are greater than 0.5. The usage logs were processed as an indicator representing specific clinical information using factor analysis. Random intercept logistic regression was used to explore the type of clinical information that is frequently accessed during the peak usage times. A total of 524,929 usage logs from 653 doctors (229 professors, 161 fellows, and 263 residents; mean age: 37.55 years; males: 415 [63.6%]) were analyzed. The highest average number of m-EMR usage logs (897) was by medical residents, whereas the lowest (292) was by surgical residents. The usage amount for three menus, namely inpatient list (47,096), lab results (38,508), and investigation list (25,336), accounted for 60.1% of the peak time usage. The HIS was used most frequently during regular hours (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM). The peak usage time of the m-EMR was early in the morning (6:00 AM to 10:00 AM), and the use of the m-EMR from early evening (5:00 PM) to midnight was higher than during regular business hours. Four factors representing the types of clinical information were extracted through factor analysis. Factors related to patient investigation status and patient conditions were associated with the peak usage times of the m-EMR (P<.01). Access to information regarding patient investigation status and patient conditions is crucial for decision making during morning activities, including ward rounds. The m-EMRs allow doctors to maintain the continuity of their clinical information regardless of the time and location constraints. Thus, m-EMRs will best evolve in a manner that enhances the accessibility of clinical information helpful to the decision-making process under such constraints. ©Junetae Kim, Yura Lee, Sanghee Lim, Jeong Hoon Kim, Byungtae Lee, Jae-Ho Lee. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 18.10.2017.

What Clinical Information Is Valuable to Doctors Using Mobile Electronic Medical Records and When?

PubMed Central

Lim, Sanghee; Kim, Jeong Hoon; Lee, Byungtae

2017-01-01

Background There has been a lack of understanding on what types of specific clinical information are most valuable for doctors to access through mobile-based electronic medical records (m-EMRs) and when they access such information. Furthermore, it has not been clearly discussed why the value of such information is high. Objective The goal of this study was to investigate the types of clinical information that are most valuable to doctors to access through an m-EMR and when such information is accessed. Methods Since 2010, an m-EMR has been used in a tertiary hospital in Seoul, South Korea. The usage logs of the m-EMR by doctors were gathered from March to December 2015. Descriptive analyses were conducted to explore the overall usage patterns of the m-EMR. To assess the value of the clinical information provided, the usage patterns of both the m-EMR and a hospital information system (HIS) were compared on an hourly basis. The peak usage times of the m-EMR were defined as continuous intervals having normalized usage values that are greater than 0.5. The usage logs were processed as an indicator representing specific clinical information using factor analysis. Random intercept logistic regression was used to explore the type of clinical information that is frequently accessed during the peak usage times. Results A total of 524,929 usage logs from 653 doctors (229 professors, 161 fellows, and 263 residents; mean age: 37.55 years; males: 415 [63.6%]) were analyzed. The highest average number of m-EMR usage logs (897) was by medical residents, whereas the lowest (292) was by surgical residents. The usage amount for three menus, namely inpatient list (47,096), lab results (38,508), and investigation list (25,336), accounted for 60.1% of the peak time usage. The HIS was used most frequently during regular hours (9:00 AM to 5:00 PM). The peak usage time of the m-EMR was early in the morning (6:00 AM to 10:00 AM), and the use of the m-EMR from early evening (5:00 PM) to midnight was higher than during regular business hours. Four factors representing the types of clinical information were extracted through factor analysis. Factors related to patient investigation status and patient conditions were associated with the peak usage times of the m-EMR (P<.01). Conclusions Access to information regarding patient investigation status and patient conditions is crucial for decision making during morning activities, including ward rounds. The m-EMRs allow doctors to maintain the continuity of their clinical information regardless of the time and location constraints. Thus, m-EMRs will best evolve in a manner that enhances the accessibility of clinical information helpful to the decision-making process under such constraints. PMID:29046269

House log drying rates in southeast Alaska for covered and uncovered softwood logs

Treesearch

David Nicholls; Allen Brackley

2009-01-01

Log moisture content has an important impact on many aspects of log home construction, including log processing, transportation costs, and dimensional stability in use. Air-drying times for house logs from freshly harvested trees can depend on numerous factors including initial moisture content, log diameter, bark condition, and environmental conditions during drying....

A comparison of methods to handle skew distributed cost variables in the analysis of the resource consumption in schizophrenia treatment.

PubMed

Kilian, Reinhold; Matschinger, Herbert; Löeffler, Walter; Roick, Christiane; Angermeyer, Matthias C

2002-03-01

Transformation of the dependent cost variable is often used to solve the problems of heteroscedasticity and skewness in linear ordinary least square regression of health service cost data. However, transformation may cause difficulties in the interpretation of regression coefficients and the retransformation of predicted values. The study compares the advantages and disadvantages of different methods to estimate regression based cost functions using data on the annual costs of schizophrenia treatment. Annual costs of psychiatric service use and clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of the patients were assessed for a sample of 254 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia (ICD-10 F 20.0) living in Leipzig. The clinical characteristics of the participants were assessed by means of the BPRS 4.0, the GAF, and the CAN for service needs. Quality of life was measured by WHOQOL-BREF. A linear OLS regression model with non-parametric standard errors, a log-transformed OLS model and a generalized linear model with a log-link and a gamma distribution were used to estimate service costs. For the estimation of robust non-parametric standard errors, the variance estimator by White and a bootstrap estimator based on 2000 replications were employed. Models were evaluated by the comparison of the R2 and the root mean squared error (RMSE). RMSE of the log-transformed OLS model was computed with three different methods of bias-correction. The 95% confidence intervals for the differences between the RMSE were computed by means of bootstrapping. A split-sample-cross-validation procedure was used to forecast the costs for the one half of the sample on the basis of a regression equation computed for the other half of the sample. All three methods showed significant positive influences of psychiatric symptoms and met psychiatric service needs on service costs. Only the log- transformed OLS model showed a significant negative impact of age, and only the GLM shows a significant negative influences of employment status and partnership on costs. All three models provided a R2 of about.31. The Residuals of the linear OLS model revealed significant deviances from normality and homoscedasticity. The residuals of the log-transformed model are normally distributed but still heteroscedastic. The linear OLS model provided the lowest prediction error and the best forecast of the dependent cost variable. The log-transformed model provided the lowest RMSE if the heteroscedastic bias correction was used. The RMSE of the GLM with a log link and a gamma distribution was higher than those of the linear OLS model and the log-transformed OLS model. The difference between the RMSE of the linear OLS model and that of the log-transformed OLS model without bias correction was significant at the 95% level. As result of the cross-validation procedure, the linear OLS model provided the lowest RMSE followed by the log-transformed OLS model with a heteroscedastic bias correction. The GLM showed the weakest model fit again. None of the differences between the RMSE resulting form the cross- validation procedure were found to be significant. The comparison of the fit indices of the different regression models revealed that the linear OLS model provided a better fit than the log-transformed model and the GLM, but the differences between the models RMSE were not significant. Due to the small number of cases in the study the lack of significance does not sufficiently proof that the differences between the RSME for the different models are zero and the superiority of the linear OLS model can not be generalized. The lack of significant differences among the alternative estimators may reflect a lack of sample size adequate to detect important differences among the estimators employed. Further studies with larger case number are necessary to confirm the results. Specification of an adequate regression models requires a careful examination of the characteristics of the data. Estimation of standard errors and confidence intervals by nonparametric methods which are robust against deviations from the normal distribution and the homoscedasticity of residuals are suitable alternatives to the transformation of the skew distributed dependent variable. Further studies with more adequate case numbers are needed to confirm the results.

Effects of log defects on lumber recovery.

Treesearch

James M. Cahill; Vincent S. Cegelka

1989-01-01

The impact of log defects on lumber recovery and the accuracy of cubic log scale deductions were evaluated from log scale and product recovery data for more than 3,000 logs. Lumber tally loss was estimated by comparing the lumber yield of sound logs to that of logs containing defects. The data were collected at several product recovery studies; they represent most of...

A Space-Saving Approximation Algorithm for Grammar-Based Compression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakamoto, Hiroshi; Maruyama, Shirou; Kida, Takuya; Shimozono, Shinichi

A space-efficient approximation algorithm for the grammar-based compression problem, which requests for a given string to find a smallest context-free grammar deriving the string, is presented. For the input length n and an optimum CFG size g, the algorithm consumes only O(g log g) space and O(n log*n) time to achieve O((log*n)log n) approximation ratio to the optimum compression, where log*n is the maximum number of logarithms satisfying log log…log n > 1. This ratio is thus regarded to almost O(log n), which is the currently best approximation ratio. While g depends on the string, it is known that g =Ω(log n) and g=\\\\Omega(\\\\log n) and g=O\\\\left(\\\\frac{n}{log_kn}\\\\right) for strings from k-letter alphabet[12].

Gender based within-household inequality in childhood immunization in India: changes over time and across regions.

PubMed

Singh, Ashish

2012-01-01

Despite India's substantial economic growth in the past two decades, girls in India are discriminated against in access to preventive healthcare including immunizations. Surprisingly, no study has assessed the contribution of gender based within-household discrimination to the overall inequality in immunization status of Indian children. This study therefore has two objectives: to estimate the gender based within-household inequality (GWHI) in immunization status of Indian children and to examine the inter-regional and inter-temporal variations in the GWHI. The present study used households with a pair of male-female siblings (aged 1-5 years) from two rounds of National Family Health Survey (NFHS, 1992-93 and 2005-06). The overall inequality in the immunization status (after controlling for age and birth order) of children was decomposed into within-households and between-households components using Mean log deviation to obtain the GWHI component. The analysis was conducted at the all-India level as well as for six specified geographical regions and at two time points (1992-93 and 2005-06). Household fixed-effects models for immunization status of children were also estimated. Findings from household fixed effects analysis indicated that the immunization scores of girls were significantly lower than that of boys. The inequality decompositions revealed that, at the all-India level, the absolute level of GWHI in immunization status decreased from 0.035 in 1992-93 to 0.023 in 2005-06. However, as a percentage of total inequality, it increased marginally (15.5% to 16.5%). In absolute terms, GWHI decreased in all the regions except in the North-East. But, as a percentage of total inequality it increased in the North-Eastern, Western and Southern regions. The main conclusions are the following: GWHI contributes substantially to the overall inequality in immunization status of Indian children; and though the overall inequality in immunization status declined in all the regions, the changes in GWHI were mixed.

Accurately determining log and bark volumes of saw logs using high-resolution laser scan data

Treesearch

R. Edward Thomas; Neal D. Bennett

2014-01-01

Accurately determining the volume of logs and bark is crucial to estimating the total expected value recovery from a log. Knowing the correct size and volume of a log helps to determine which processing method, if any, should be used on a given log. However, applying volume estimation methods consistently can be difficult. Errors in log measurement and oddly shaped...

Vitamin D nutritional status and antenatal depressive symptoms in African American women.

PubMed

Cassidy-Bushrow, Andrea E; Peters, Rosalind M; Johnson, Dayna A; Li, Jia; Rao, D Sudhaker

2012-11-01

Vitamin D deficiency is associated with depression; however, no studies have examined the relationship of vitamin D and antenatal depression. Antenatal depression increases the risk of adverse birth outcomes and poorer postpartum maternal and infant health. African American women are at increased risk for vitamin D deficiency and antenatal depression. Thus, we examined if early pregnancy vitamin D nutrition (VDN) was associated with antenatal depressive symptoms among African American women in the second trimester of pregnancy. Women (n=178) were recruited from obstetrics clinics of a large health system. VDN was assessed by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OHD). Depression symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale; CES-D≥16 equates with criteria for clinical depression. Logistic regression was used to examine the association of log-transformed 25-OHD and elevated depression symptoms (CES-D≥16). Mean 25-OHD was 13.4±8.4 ng/mL; most women (82.6%, n=147) were vitamin D inadequate or deficient (25-OHD<20 ng/mL). Mean CES-D was 15.2±10.7, and 74 (41.6%) women had a CES-D≥16, suggestive of clinical depression. A significant inverse relationship was found between log (25-OHD) and CES-D≥16 (odds ratio [OR] 0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.29-0.99, p=0.046). For every 1-unit increase in log (25-OHD) (corresponding to ~2.72 ng/mL increase in 25-OHD), the odds of CES-D≥16 decreased by 46%. African American women with lower VDN exhibit increased depressive symptoms. Research on vitamin D supplementation for reducing antenatal depressive symptoms is needed.

Improved survival of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and compensated hepatitis C virus-related cirrhosis who attained sustained virological response.

PubMed

Bruno, Savino; Di Marco, Vito; Iavarone, Massimo; Roffi, Luigi; Boccaccio, Vincenzo; Crosignani, Andrea; Cabibbo, Giuseppe; Rossi, Sonia; Calvaruso, Vincenza; Aghemo, Alessio; Giacomelli, Luca; Craxì, Antonio; Colombo, Massimo; Maisonneuve, Patrick

2017-10-01

Few studies examined the outcome of patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related cirrhosis who developed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The relative weight as determinant of death for cancer vs end-stage liver disease (ESLD) and the benefit of HCV eradication remain undefined. This multicentre, retrospective analysis evaluates overall survival (OS), rate of decompensation and tumour recurrence in compensated HCC patients treated with interferon (IFN) according to HCV status since HCC diagnosis. Two groups of patients with HCV-related cirrhosis and HCC were followed since HCC diagnosis: (i) compensated cirrhotics with prior sustained virological response (SVR) on IFN-based regimens (N=19); (ii) compensated cirrhotics without SVR (viraemic) (N=156). Over a median follow-up of 3.0 years since the onset of HCC, OS was longer for HCC patients with SVR than for viraemic patients (log-rank P=.004). The 5-year OS rate was 65.9% in patients with SVR vs 31.9% in viraemic patients. Similar trends were reported for hepatic decompensation (log-rank P=.01) and tumour recurrence (log-rank P=.01). These findings were confirmed at multivariable and propensity score analysis. At propensity analysis, 0/19 compensated patients with SVR died for ESLD vs 7/19 (37%) viraemic patients (P=.004). HCC mortality was similar in the two groups. Hepatocellular carcinoma patients with prior SVR and compensated cirrhosis at the time of tumour diagnosis have prolonged OS than viraemic patients. Given the lack of cirrhosis progression, no SVR patient ultimately died for ESLD while this condition appears the main cause of death among viraemic patients. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Using mixed treatment comparisons and meta-regression to perform indirect comparisons to estimate the efficacy of biologic treatments in rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Nixon, R M; Bansback, N; Brennan, A

2007-03-15

Mixed treatment comparison (MTC) is a generalization of meta-analysis. Instead of the same treatment for a disease being tested in a number of studies, a number of different interventions are considered. Meta-regression is also a generalization of meta-analysis where an attempt is made to explain the heterogeneity between the treatment effects in the studies by regressing on study-level covariables. Our focus is where there are several different treatments considered in a number of randomized controlled trials in a specific disease, the same treatment can be applied in several arms within a study, and where differences in efficacy can be explained by differences in the study settings. We develop methods for simultaneously comparing several treatments and adjusting for study-level covariables by combining ideas from MTC and meta-regression. We use a case study from rheumatoid arthritis. We identified relevant trials of biologic verses standard therapy or placebo and extracted the doses, comparators and patient baseline characteristics. Efficacy is measured using the log odds ratio of achieving six-month ACR50 responder status. A random-effects meta-regression model is fitted which adjusts the log odds ratio for study-level prognostic factors. A different random-effect distribution on the log odds ratios is allowed for each different treatment. The odds ratio is found as a function of the prognostic factors for each treatment. The apparent differences in the randomized trials between tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF- alpha) antagonists are explained by differences in prognostic factors and the analysis suggests that these drugs as a class are not different from each other. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Depressive symptoms, physical inactivity and risk of cardiovascular mortality in older adults: the Cardiovascular Health Study

PubMed Central

Win, Sithu; Parakh, Kapil; Eze-Nliam, Chete M; Gottdiener, John S; Kop, Willem J

2011-01-01

Background Depressed older individuals have a higher mortality than older persons without depression. Depression is associated with physical inactivity, and low levels of physical activity have been shown in some cohorts to be a partial mediator of the relationship between depression and cardiovascular events and mortality. Methods A cohort of 5888 individuals (mean 72.8±5.6 years, 58% female, 16% African-American) from four US communities was followed for an average of 10.3 years. Self-reported depressive symptoms (10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale) were assessed annually and self-reported physical activity was assessed at baseline and at 3 and 7 years. To estimate how much of the increased risk of cardiovascular mortality associated with depressive symptoms was due to physical inactivity, Cox regression with time-varying covariates was used to determine the percentage change in the log HR of depressive symptoms for cardiovascular mortality after adding physical activity variables. Results At baseline, 20% of participants scored above the cut-off for depressive symptoms. There were 2915 deaths (49.8%), of which 1176 (20.1%) were from cardiovascular causes. Depressive symptoms and physical inactivity each independently increased the risk of cardiovascular mortality and were strongly associated with each other (all p<0.001). Individuals with both depressive symptoms and physical inactivity had greater cardiovascular mortality than those with either individually (p<0.001, log rank test). Physical inactivity reduced the log HR of depressive symptoms for cardiovascular mortality by 26% after adjustment. This was similar for persons with (25%) and without (23%) established coronary heart disease. Conclusions Physical inactivity accounted for a significant proportion of the risk of cardiovascular mortality due to depressive symptoms in older adults, regardless of coronary heart disease status. PMID:21339320