"Serial" Effects in Parallel Models of Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Ya-Ning; Furber, Steve; Welbourne, Stephen

2012-01-01

There is now considerable evidence showing that the time to read a word out loud is influenced by an interaction between orthographic length and lexicality. Given that length effects are interpreted by advocates of dual-route models as evidence of serial processing this would seem to pose a serious challenge to models of single word reading which…

Meeting Our Shared Aspirations: Supporting Economically and Socially Relevant Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Steve

2010-01-01

This article represents a lecture given by Professor Steve Smith at the Association of University Administrators Annual Lecture on 20 October 2009. There has been considerable change in the sector since the lecture was delivered, however, the Editor and author felt that the issues still pose significant challenges to higher education (HE), and…

Diagnosis of Urinary Tract Infections in Children

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common occurrence in children. The management and laboratory diagnosis of these infections pose unique challenges that are not encountered in adults. Important factors, such as specimen collection, urinalysis interpretation, culture thresholds, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing, require special consideration in children and will be discussed in detail in the following review. PMID:27053673

"Going Glocal": A Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Global Citizenship Education at a Dutch Liberal Arts and Sciences College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sklad, M.; Friedman, J.; Park, E.; Oomen, B.

2016-01-01

Over the past decades, more and more institutions of higher learning have developed programs destined to educate students for global citizenship. Such efforts pose considerable challenges: conceptually, pedagogically and from the perspective of impact assessment. Conceptually, it is of utmost importance to pay attention to both structural…

Growing into What? The (Un-)Disciplined Socialisation of Early Stage Researchers in Transdisciplinary Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Felt, Ulrike; Igelsbock, Judith; Schikowitz, Andrea; Volker, Thomas

2013-01-01

Over past decades we have witnessed considerable debate questioning the capacity of contemporary research to address the challenges posed by complex societal developments. As a consequence the need for rethinking cultures and practices of knowledge production has moved high on the policy agenda. In this context transdisciplinarity has become one…

Getting ahead of the wildfire problem: Quantifying and mapping management challenges and opportunities

Treesearch

Christopher D. O' Connor; Matthew P. Thompson; Francisco Rodriguez y Silva

2016-01-01

Wildfire is a global phenomenon that plays a vital role in regulating and maintaining many natural and human-influenced ecosystems but that also poses considerable risks to human populations and infrastructure. Fire managers are charged with balancing the short-term protection of human assets sensitive to fire exposure against the potential long-term benefits...

Identifying Governance Best Practices in Systems-of-Systems Acquisition

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-02-08

Acquisition Governance ................................................ 28  Figure 3.  Harvest Hercules Airborne Weapons Kit System Components ...... 39 ...acquisition poses considerable challenges that the current Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition governance structure was not necessarily designed to...specify the warship it needed along with the design , construction, and outfitting of the ship. The Navy managed and performed production operations and

e-Health promises and challenges: some ethical considerations.

PubMed

Kluge, Eike-Henner W

2011-01-01

eHealth is a cost-effective and efficient way of providing health care to patients who would otherwise be excluded or underserviced. However, eHealth also presents a series of ethical and legal challenges which, if not met before its implementation, can undermine its success. Among other things, privacy, consent and liability are implicated, as are changes in the health care professional-patient relationship and in the role of health informatics professionals. Legacy systems and interoperability present further challenges, and outsourcing may pose special problems. This paper highlights some of these issues and outlines their implications.

Drug resistance in eukaryotic microorganisms

PubMed Central

Fairlamb, Alan H.; Gow, Neil A. R.; Matthews, Keith R.; Waters, Andrew P.

2016-01-01

Eukaryotic microbial pathogens are major contributors to illness and death globally. Although much of their impact can be controlled by drug therapy as with prokaryotic microorganisms, the emergence of drug resistance has threatened these treatment efforts. Here, we discuss the challenges posed by eukaryotic microbial pathogens and how these are similar to, or differ from, the challenges of prokaryotic antibiotic resistance. The therapies used for several major eukaryotic microorganisms are then detailed, and the mechanisms that they have evolved to overcome these therapies are described. The rapid emergence of resistance and the restricted pipeline of new drug therapies pose considerable risks to global health and are particularly acute in the developing world. Nonetheless, we detail how the integration of new technology, biological understanding, epidemiology and evolutionary analysis can help sustain existing therapies, anticipate the emergence of resistance or optimize the deployment of new therapies. PMID:27572976

Small is challenging; distal femur fracture management in an elderly lady with achondroplastic dwarfism.

PubMed

Murphy, Colin G; Chrea, Bopha; Molloy, Alan P; Nicholson, Paul

2013-03-20

Achondroplasia is an autosomal dominant dwarfing condition that represents the most common form of skeletal dysplasia. The disease is caused by a mutation in the gene encoding fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) found at the p16.3 locus on chromosome 4 which results in severe inhibition of subchondral bone growth. Anatomic variations, including articular and periarticular deformities classically seen with this condition, amplify the complexity of fracture fixation. Blood volume loss, age-related bone fragility, component selection and positioning pose serious orthopaedic challenges. Concomitant cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological comorbidities pose additional high-risk perioperative considerations. Despite an estimated prevalence of 1:25 000 in the general population, there is little literature concerning the operative and postoperative treatment challenges faced by orthopaedic surgeons dealing with fracture management on a patient with this condition. We present a case of an intercondylar femoral fracture in an elderly achondroplastic lady successfully treated with percutaneous screw fixation.

Psychological Well-Being of Mothers of Youth with Fragile X Syndrome: Syndrome Specificity and within-Syndrome Variability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, P.; Abbeduto, L.; Murphy, M.; Richmond, E.; Giles, N.; Bruno, L.; Schroeder, S.; Anderson, J.; Orsmond, G.

2006-01-01

Background: Research on parental well-being has focused largely on Down syndrome and autism; however, fragile X syndrome is likely to pose different challenges for parents compared with these other diagnostic conditions. Moreover, there is considerable variability among youth with fragile X syndrome; for example, 25% to 33% of affected youth meet…

Using E-Cigarettes in the Home to Reduce Smoking and Secondhand Smoke: Disadvantaged Parents' Accounts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowa-Dewar, Neneh; Rooke, Catriona; Amos, Amanda

2017-01-01

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are subject to considerable public health debate. Most public health experts agree that for smokers who find it particularly challenging to quit, e-cigarettes may reduce harm. E-cigarette use in the home may also reduce children's secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure, although e-cigarette vapour may pose risks. This…

A qualitative exploration of district nurses' care of patients with advanced cancer: the challenges of supporting families within the home.

PubMed

Wilson, Charlotte; Griffiths, Jane; Ewing, Gail; Connolly, Michael; Grande, Gunn

2014-01-01

In the United Kingdom, district nurses (DNs) support patients with advanced cancer in their homes. Although evidence suggests that DNs emphasize the distinctiveness of home rather than hospital settings, little is known about the specific challenges of delivering care in family-home settings. The objective of this study was to explore DNs' experiences of supporting patients within families. Focus groups were conducted with 40 DNs from 4 areas in the United Kingdom. The groups were digitally recorded and facilitated by researchers using a flexible topic guide. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Case-load complexity (household volatility) and family dynamics posed distinct challenges for nurses supporting patients. Many family members struggled with accepting the patients' prognosis and were complicit in withholding information. At times, this foreclosed a consideration of palliative options. Carers provide a great deal of positive supportive care within the home. However, for some, the home is characterized by conflict rather than consensus. Complexities surrounding family relationships pose a distinctive and challenging environment for DNs. Education and training of DNs should be designed to address the challenges of supporting patients within the family-home setting.

Advances and challenges in hair restoration of curly Afrocentric hair.

PubMed

Rogers, Nicole E; Callender, Valerie D

2014-04-01

Although the biochemical composition of hair is similar among racial and ethnic groups, the hair structure between them varies, and individuals with curly hair pose specific challenges and special considerations when a surgical option for alopecia is considered. Hair restoration in this population should therefore be approached with knowledge on the clinical characteristics of curly hair, hair grooming techniques that may influence the management, unique indications for the procedure, surgical instrumentation used, and the complications that may arise. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the intersection of phonetic detail and the organization of interaction: clinical connections.

PubMed

Walker, Gareth; Local, John

2013-01-01

The analysis of language use in real-world contexts poses particular methodological challenges. We codify responses to these challenges as a series of methodological imperatives. To demonstrate the relevance of these imperatives to clinical investigation, we present analyses of single episodes of interaction where one participant has a speech and/or language impairment: atypical prosody, echolalia and dysarthria. We demonstrate there is considerable heuristic and analytic value in taking this approach to analysing the organization of interaction involving individuals with a speech and/or language impairment.

Approaching the molecular origins of collective dynamics in oscillating cell populations

PubMed Central

Mehta, Pankaj; Gregor, Thomas

2011-01-01

From flocking birds, to organ generation, to swarming bacterial colonies, biological systems often exhibit collective behaviors. Here, we review recent advances in our understanding of collective dynamics in cell populations. We argue that understanding population-level oscillations requires examining the system under consideration at three different levels of complexity: at the level of isolated cells, homogenous populations, and spatially structured populations. We discuss the experimental and theoretical challenges this poses and highlight how new experimental techniques, when combined with conceptual tools adapted from physics, may help us overcome these challenges. PMID:20934869

Where from, Who, Why and How? A Study of the Use of Sources by First Year L2 University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Celia; Morton, Janne; Storch, Neomy

2013-01-01

Knowing how to use sources effectively often poses considerable challenges for first year undergraduate students for whom English is a second language (L2). In this longitudinal case study we investigated the selection and self-reported use of source materials by thirteen first year L2 undergraduate students from a range of disciplines enrolled at…

Whose Side Are We on and for Whom Do We Write? Notes on Issues and Challenges Facing Those Researching and Evaluating Public Policy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warren, Jon; Garthwaite, Kayleigh

2015-01-01

Becker (1967) poses the question "Whose side are we on?," a question which has become an enduring part of discussions within social scientific methodology. This paper explores the key issues in Becker's argument and considers its relevance to researchers today, locating this within a consideration of evaluation-based research and policy.…

[Sex and gender: five challenges for epidemiologists].

PubMed

Doyal, L

2004-03-01

This paper explores the challenges posed by sex and gender for epidemiologists as they try to integrate sex and gender concerns into their work in more appropriate and effective ways. The first challenge is one of conceptual clarification with considerable confusion still surrounding the use of the terms sex and gender themselves. The second challenge is to develop a broader understanding of the links between biological sex and health. The third challenge is to create a more comprehensive understanding of the ways in which social gender shapes the health of both women and men. The fourth challenge is to ensure that all research designs are both sex and gender sensitive. And the final challenge is to find a strategy for integrating findings on both sex and gender into wider equality agendas. This paper will examine each of these challenges in turn.

Translating human biology (introduction to special issue).

PubMed

Brewis, Alexandra A; Mckenna, James J

2015-01-01

Introducing a special issue on "Translating Human Biology," we pose two basic questions: Is human biology addressing the most critical challenges facing our species? How can the processes of translating our science be improved and innovated? We analyze articles published in American Journal of Human Biology from 2004-2013, and find there is very little human biological consideration of issues related to most of the core human challenges such as water, energy, environmental degradation, or conflict. There is some focus on disease, and considerable focus on food/nutrition. We then introduce this special volume with reference to the following articles that provide exemplars for the process of how translation and concern for broader context and impacts can be integrated into research. Human biology has significant unmet potential to engage more fully in translation for the public good, through consideration of the topics we focus on, the processes of doing our science, and the way we present our domain expertise. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Regulatory Considerations in the Design and Manufacturing of Implantable 3D‐Printed Medical Devices

PubMed Central

Morrison, Robert J.; Kashlan, Khaled N.; Flanangan, Colleen L.; Wright, Jeanne K.; Green, Glenn E.; Hollister, Scott J.

2015-01-01

Abstract Three‐dimensional (3D) printing, or additive manufacturing, technology has rapidly penetrated the medical device industry over the past several years, and innovative groups have harnessed it to create devices with unique composition, structure, and customizability. These distinctive capabilities afforded by 3D printing have introduced new regulatory challenges. The customizability of 3D‐printed devices introduces new complexities when drafting a design control model for FDA consideration of market approval. The customizability and unique build processes of 3D‐printed medical devices pose unique challenges in meeting regulatory standards related to the manufacturing quality assurance. Consistent material powder properties and optimal printing parameters such as build orientation and laser power must be addressed and communicated to the FDA to ensure a quality build. Postprinting considerations unique to 3D‐printed devices, such as cleaning, finishing and sterilization are also discussed. In this manuscript we illustrate how such regulatory hurdles can be navigated by discussing our experience with our group's 3D‐printed bioresorbable implantable device. PMID:26243449

Establishing a Methodology to Examine the Effects of War-Zone PTSD on the Family: The Family Foundations Study

PubMed Central

Vasterling, Jennifer J.; Taft, Casey T.; Proctor, Susan P.; MacDonald, Helen Z.; Lawrence, Amy; Kalill, Kathleen; Kaiser, Anica P.; Lee, Lewina O.; King, Daniel W.; King, Lynda A.; Fairbank, John A.

2015-01-01

Military deployment may adversely affect not only returning veterans, but their families, as well. As a result, researchers have increasingly focused on identifying risk and protective factors for successful family adaptation to war-zone deployment, re-integration of the returning veteran, and the longer-term psychosocial consequences of deployment experienced by some veterans and families. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among returning veterans may pose particular challenges to military and military veteran families; however, questions remain regarding the impact of the course of veteran PTSD and other potential moderating factors on family adaptation to military deployment. The Family Foundations Study builds upon an established longitudinal cohort of Army soldiers (i.e., the Neurocognition Deployment Health Study) to help address remaining knowledge gaps. This report describes the conceptual framework and key gaps in knowledge that guided the study design, methodological challenges and special considerations in conducting military family research, and how these gaps, challenges, and special considerations are addressed by the study. PMID:26077194

Nanoarchitectonics of molecular aggregates: science and technology.

PubMed

Ramanathan, Muruganathan; Hong, Kunlun; Ji, Qingmin; Yonamine, Yusuke; Hill, Jonathan P; Ariga, Katsuhiko

2014-01-01

The field of making, studying and using molecular aggregates, in which the individual molecules (monomers) are arranged in a regular fashion, has come a long way. Taking control over the aggregation of small molecules and polymers in bulk, on surfaces and at interfaces pose a considerable challenge for their utilization in modern high tech applications. In this review, we provide a detailed insight into recent trends in molecular aggregates from the perspectives of nanoarchitectonics.

Severe Pneumonia Caused by Legionella pneumophila: Differential Diagnosis and Therapeutic Considerations.

PubMed

Chahin, Abdullah; Opal, Steven M

2017-03-01

Severe legionella pneumonia poses a diagnostic challenge and requires early intervention. Legionnaire's disease can have several presenting signs, symptoms, and laboratory abnormalities that suggest that Legionella pneumophila is the pathogen, but none of these are sufficient to distinguish L pneumophila pneumonia from other respiratory pathogens. L pneumophila is primarily an intracellular pathogen and needs treatment with antibiotics that efficiently enter the intracellular space. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Nanoarchitectonics of Molecular Aggregates: Science and Technology

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

Ramanathan, Nathan Muruganathan; Hong, Kunlun; Ji, Dr. Qingmin

2014-01-01

The field of making, studying and using molecular aggregates, in which the individual molecules (monomers) are arranged in a regular fashion, has come a long way. Taking control over the aggregation of small molecules and polymers in bulk, on surfaces and at interfaces pose a considerable challenge for their utilization in modern high tech applications. In this review we provide a detailed insight into recent trends in molecular aggregates from the perspectives of nanoarchitectonics.

Conceptual and methodological issues in research on mindfulness and meditation.

PubMed

Davidson, Richard J; Kaszniak, Alfred W

2015-10-01

Both basic science and clinical research on mindfulness, meditation, and related constructs have dramatically increased in recent years. However, interpretation of these research results has been challenging. The present article addresses unique conceptual and methodological problems posed by research in this area. Included among the key topics is the role of first-person experience and how it can be best studied, the challenges posed by intervention research designs in which true double-blinding is not possible, the nature of control and comparison conditions for research that includes mindfulness or other meditation-based interventions, issues in the adequate description of mindfulness and related trainings and interventions, the question of how mindfulness can be measured, questions regarding what can and cannot be inferred from self-report measures, and considerations regarding the structure of study design and data analyses. Most of these topics are germane to both basic and clinical research studies and have important bearing on the future scientific understanding of mindfulness and meditation. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Conceptual and Methodological Issues in Research on Mindfulness and Meditation

PubMed Central

Davidson, Richard J.; Kaszniak, Alfred W.

2015-01-01

Both basic science and clinical research on mindfulness, meditation, and related constructs has dramatically increased in recent years. However, interpretation of these research results has been challenging. The present article addresses unique conceptual and methodological problems posed by research in this area. Included among the key topics is the role of first person experience and how it can be best studied; the challenges posed by intervention research designs in which true double-blinding is not possible; the nature of control and comparison conditions for research that includes mindfulness or other meditation-based interventions; issues in the adequate description of mindfulness and related trainings and interventions; the question of how mindfulness can be measured; questions regarding what can and cannot be inferred from self-report measures; and considerations regarding the structure of study design and data analyses. Most of these topics are germane to both basic and clinical research studies and have important bearing on the future scientific understanding of mindfulness and meditation. PMID:26436310

Pharmaceutical market access in emerging markets: concepts, components, and future.

PubMed

Kumar, Anuj; Juluru, Karthaveerya; Thimmaraju, Phani Kishore; Reddy, Jayachandra; Patil, Anand

2014-01-01

This article intends to consolidate the concepts of pharmaceutical market access and highlight its growing importance in emerging markets. Market access has gained considerable attention worldwide as countries try to contain their escalating healthcare expenditures amidst the global economic slowdown. This has resulted in governments adopting stricter measures for new product approval. Thus, pharmaceutical companies are finding it increasingly difficult to successfully address the specific challenges posed by various government and regulatory agencies and stakeholders. There is an increasing need to establish market access functions, especially in emerging markets, where the complex, dynamic healthcare landscape confounds product approval and uptake. Moreover, emerging markets are the engines of growth today, and, thus, performing in these markets is critical for the majority of pharmaceutical companies. To address the challenges posed by regulatory agencies and diverse stakeholders, a customized market access strategy is the need of the hour. A market access framework with specific tools and tactics will help companies to plan, implement, and monitor stakeholder engagement activities.

Structural and mechanical design challenges of space shuttle solid rocket boosters separation and recovery subsystems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodis, W. R.; Runkle, R. E.

1985-01-01

The design of the space shuttle solid rocket booster (SRB) subsystems for reuse posed some unique and challenging design considerations. The separation of the SRBs from the cluster (orbiter and external tank) at 150,000 ft when the orbiter engines are running at full thrust meant the two SRBs had to have positive separation forces pushing them away. At the same instant, the large attachments that had reacted launch loads of 7.5 million pounds thrust had to be servered. These design considerations dictated the design requirements for the pyrotechnics and separation rocket motors. The recovery and reuse of the two SRBs meant they had to be safely lowered to the ocean, remain afloat, and be owed back to shore. In general, both the pyrotechnic and recovery subsystems have met or exceeded design requirements. In twelve vehicles, there has only been one instance where the pyrotechnic system has failed to function properly.

The challenge of treating conduct disorder in low-resourced settings: rap music to the rescue.

PubMed

Evans, Dylan J

2010-12-01

Conduct disorder is one of the most frequent serious childhood problems that present for treatment in community clinic settings. Evidence-based treatments for conduct disorder are intensive and require considerable resources to implement. In low-resourced contexts it is often not feasible to implement evidence-based treatments in their current form, which poses significant challenges for clinicians attempting to treat children in these settings. This article explores these challenges using a case study of the treatment of a young adolescent boy with a short-term multisystem intervention where rap music was employed as a powerful tool to facilitate an empathic connection in therapy and as a projective technique to explore underlying emotional difficulties.

Case Report: Perioperative management of a pregnant poly trauma patient for spine fixation surgery.

PubMed

Vandse, Rashmi; Cook, Meghan; Bergese, Sergio

2015-01-01

Trauma is estimated to complicate approximately one in twelve pregnancies, and is currently a leading non-obstetric cause of maternal death. Pregnant trauma patients requiring non-obstetric surgery pose a number of challenges for anesthesiologists. Here we present the successful perioperative management of a pregnant trauma patient with multiple injuries including occult pneumothorax who underwent T9 to L1 fusion in prone position, and address the pertinent perioperative anesthetic considerations and management.

PATIENT-CENTERED DECISION MAKING: LESSONS FROM MULTI-CRITERIA DECISION ANALYSIS FOR QUANTIFYING PATIENT PREFERENCES.

PubMed

Marsh, Kevin; Caro, J Jaime; Zaiser, Erica; Heywood, James; Hamed, Alaa

2018-01-01

Patient preferences should be a central consideration in healthcare decision making. However, stories of patients challenging regulatory and reimbursement decisions has led to questions on whether patient voices are being considered sufficiently during those decision making processes. This has led some to argue that it is necessary to quantify patient preferences before they can be adequately considered. This study considers the lessons from the use of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) for efforts to quantify patient preferences. It defines MCDA and summarizes the benefits it can provide to decision makers, identifies examples of MCDAs that have involved patients, and summarizes good practice guidelines as they relate to quantifying patient preferences. The guidance developed to support the use of MCDA in healthcare provide some useful considerations for the quantification of patient preferences, namely that researchers should give appropriate consideration to: the heterogeneity of patient preferences, and its relevance to decision makers; the cognitive challenges posed by different elicitation methods; and validity of the results they produce. Furthermore, it is important to consider how the relevance of these considerations varies with the decision being supported. The MCDA literature holds important lessons for how patient preferences should be quantified to support healthcare decision making.

Political impediments to a tobacco endgame

PubMed Central

Rabe, Barry George

2013-01-01

Any serious consideration of exploring a tobacco endgame in the USA must build upon the enviable track record of reducing tobacco use through a mixture of federal and state policies. This foundation may pose particular challenges in approaching an endgame, including questions of national political feasibility, public support, limitations of sub-federal experimentation and recruitment of future political champions. Advocates must demonstrate a compelling need for a dramatic expansion beyond existing efforts, amid competition from alternative issues and little apparent public appetite for such an initiative. PMID:23591512

[Book review] Birds in Europe: Population estimates, trends and conservation status

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterjohn, Bruce G.

2006-01-01

Effective bird conservation requires knowledge of distribution, relative abundance, and population trends at multiple geographic scales. Obtaining this information for a continental avifauna poses considerable challenges, especially in Europe with its 52 countries, numerous languages and cultures, and disparate resources available for monitoring bird populations within each country. Synthesizing the available information on the status and trends of all European birds into a single volume is an enormous yet essential task necessary to direct bird conservation activities across the continent.

Modular scanning FCS quantifies receptor-ligand interactions in living multicellular organisms.

PubMed

Ries, Jonas; Yu, Shuizi Rachel; Burkhardt, Markus; Brand, Michael; Schwille, Petra

2009-09-01

Analysis of receptor-ligand interactions in vivo is key to biology but poses a considerable challenge to quantitative microscopy. Here we combine static-volume, two-focus and dual-color scanning fluorescence correlation spectroscopy to solve this task at cellular resolution in complex biological environments. We quantified the mobility of fibroblast growth factor receptors Fgfr1 and Fgfr4 in cell membranes of living zebrafish embryos and determined their in vivo binding affinities to their ligand Fgf8.

Telecommuting: Occupational health considerations for employee health and safety.

PubMed

Healy, M L

2000-06-01

1. Information technology has moved "work" out of a centralized location. Employees who telecommute pose significant challenges and considerations for the practice of occupational health nursing. 2. Employer and employee benefits associated with telecommuting are reportedly associated with high levels of job satisfaction. However, the occupational health and safety risks of this new work environment need to be fully assessed and understood. 3. The ergonomic controls to minimize the risk of repetitive motion injuries are the same for both office and home locations. Additional attention need to be paid to implementing risk controls for other physical hazards and psychosocial considerations, as well as personal safety and security issues. 4. The scope of occupational health nursing practice needs to remain dynamic, recognizing the impact new technologies have on the workplace, to continue to meet the needs of the changing workplace.

Space Radiation Effects and Reliability Consideration for the Proposed Jupiter Europa Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnston, Allan

2011-01-01

The proposed Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO) mission to explore the Jovian moon Europa poses a number of challenges. The spacecraft must operate for about seven years during the transit time to the vicinity of Jupiter, and then endure unusually high radiation levels during exploration and orbiting phases. The ability to withstand usually high total dose levels is critical for the mission, along with meeting the high reliability standards for flagship NASA missions. Reliability of new microelectronic components must be sufficiently understood to meet overall mission requirements.The proposed Jupiter Europa Orbiter (JEO) mission to explore the Jovian moon Europa poses a number of challenges. The spacecraft must operate for about seven years during the transit time to the vicinity of Jupiter, and then endure unusually high radiation levels during exploration and orbiting phases. The ability to withstand usually high total dose levels is critical for the mission, along with meeting the high reliability standards for flagship NASA missions. Reliability of new microelectronic components must be sufficiently understood to meet overall mission requirements.

Engendering development theory from the standpoint of women.

PubMed

Currie, D H; Wickramasinghe, A

1997-01-01

Although the field of "women and development" emerged as an aftermath of the UN Decade for Women, development planners have treated gender and development as interrelated but analytically distinct by simply tacking the category "women" onto established frameworks or considering women the social "contexts" of development projects. This paper challenges this tendency with a consideration of how the global process of development is conditioned by and constitutive of gender roles and relations in specific cultural contexts. The paper presents a framework for a distinctly feminist political economy of development that moves development theory from its present impasse caused by challenges to the Marxism that has dominated critical development theory. This post-impasse framework poses Marx's theory of exploitation against the experiences of women garment workers in Free Trade Zones in Sri Lanka to illustrate how industrial development through free market channels is necessarily, not merely coincidentally, gendered. Therefore, the framework reveals the importance of engendering development theory itself. The paper opens with an introduction and continues with an exploration of the current theoretical impasse and post-impasse theory. The paper continues with a discussion of standpoint epistemology as the basis for women-centered research, a description of the research on the impact of factory employment on women from rural villages, a consideration of women's proletarianization in terms of the rise of the "new world order," a feminist reading of Marx's theory of exploitation from the standpoint of the garment workers, and an acknowledgement of the challenge posed by this application of standpoint methodology to the study of development to the current rejection by some Western feminists of universalizing categories such as "gender" and "women."

Review of mobile health technology for military mental health.

PubMed

Shore, Jay H; Aldag, Matt; McVeigh, Francis L; Hoover, Ronald L; Ciulla, Robert; Fisher, Ashley

2014-08-01

Mental health problems pose challenges for military veterans, returning service members, and military family members including spouses and children. Challenges to meeting mental health needs include improving access to care and improving quality of care. Mobile Health, or "mHealth," can help meet these needs in the garrison and civilian environments. mHealth brings unique capabilities to health care provision through the use of mobile device technologies. This report identifies high-priority mHealth technology development considerations in two categories. First, priority considerations specific to mental health care provision include safety, privacy, evidence-based practice, efficacy studies, and temperament. Second, priority considerations broadly applicable to mHealth include security, outcomes, ease of use, carrier compliance, hardware, provider perspectives, data volume, population, regulation, command policy, and reimbursement. Strategic planning for the advancement of these priority considerations should be coordinated with stated Department of Defense capability needs to maximize likelihood of adoption. This report also summarizes three leading, military programs focused on mHealth projects in mental health, The Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, The Military Operational Medicine Research Program, United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, and The National Center for Telehealth and Technology. Reprint & Copyright © 2014 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Are we missing non-motor seizures in Parkinson's disease? Two case reports.

PubMed

Son, Andre Y; Cucca, Alberto; Agarwal, Shashank; Liu, Anli; Di Rocco, Alessandro; Biagioni, Milton C

2017-01-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) is predominantly recognized for its motor symptoms, but patients struggle from a morbid and heterogeneous collection of non-motor symptoms (NMS-PD) that can affect their quality of life even more. NMS-PD is a rather generalized term and the heterogeneity and non-specific nature of many symptoms poses a clinical challenge when a PD patient presents with non-motor complaints that may not be NMS-PD. We report two patients with idiopathic PD who presented with acute episodes of cognitive changes. Structural brain images, cardiovascular and laboratory assessment were unremarkable. Both patients experienced a considerable delay before receiving an epilepsy-evaluation, at which point electroencephalogram abnormalities supported the diagnosis of focal non-motor seizures with alteration of awareness. Antiepileptic therapy was implemented and was effective in both cases. Diagnosing non-motor seizures can be challenging. However, PD patients pose an even greater challenge given their eclectic non-motor clinical manifestations and other disease-related complications that could confound and mislead adequate clinical interpretation. Our two cases provide examples of non-motor seizures that may mimic non-motor symptoms of PD. Treating physicians should always consider other possible causes of non-motor symptoms that may coexist in PD patients. Epilepsy work-up should be contemplated in the differential of acute changes in cognition, behavior, or alertness.

A tale of two health literacies: public health and clinical approaches to health literacy.

PubMed

Pleasant, Andrew; Kuruvilla, Shyama

2008-06-01

Public health concerns underlie a considerable portion of the global burden of disease, increasing the utility and need for promoting and assessing the knowledge about public health issues. Health literacy is generally agreed upon as a means to find, understand, analyze and use information to make better decisions about health and to ultimately reduce inequities in health. A public health literacy knowledge scale was tested in China, Mexico, Ghana and India. A somewhat unexpected finding, which was that experts 'scored' less on the scale than the general public, led to consideration of differences between clinical and public health approaches to health literacy and their implications. These differences in perspective, for instance consideration of single case effects versus impacts at the societal level, pose significant challenges to developing and assessing health literacy. We suggest that a comprehensive approach to health literacy will include both clinical and public health approaches.

More ethical and more efficient clinical research: multiplex trial design.

PubMed

Keus, Frederik; van der Horst, Iwan C C; Nijsten, Maarten W

2014-08-14

Today's clinical research faces challenges such as a lack of clinical equipoise between treatment arms, reluctance in randomizing for multiple treatments simultaneously, inability to address interactions and increasingly restricted resources. Furthermore, many trials are biased by extensive exclusion criteria, relatively small sample size and less appropriate outcome measures. We propose a 'Multiplex' trial design that preserves clinical equipoise with a continuous and factorial trial design that will also result in more efficient use of resources. This multiplex design accommodates subtrials with appropriate choice of treatment arms within each subtrial. Clinical equipoise should increase consent rates while the factorial design is the best way to identify interactions. The multiplex design may evolve naturally from today's research limitations and challenges, while principal objections seem absent. However this new design poses important infrastructural, organisational and psychological challenges that need in depth consideration.

Evaluating Web accessibility at different processing phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fernandes, N.; Lopes, R.; Carriço, L.

2012-09-01

Modern Web sites use several techniques (e.g. DOM manipulation) that allow for the injection of new content into their Web pages (e.g. AJAX), as well as manipulation of the HTML DOM tree. This has the consequence that the Web pages that are presented to users (i.e. after browser processing) are different from the original structure and content that is transmitted through HTTP communication (i.e. after browser processing). This poses a series of challenges for Web accessibility evaluation, especially on automated evaluation software. This article details an experimental study designed to understand the differences posed by accessibility evaluation after Web browser processing. We implemented a Javascript-based evaluator, QualWeb, that can perform WCAG 2.0 based accessibility evaluations in the two phases of browser processing. Our study shows that, in fact, there are considerable differences between the HTML DOM trees in both phases, which have the consequence of having distinct evaluation results. We discuss the impact of these results in the light of the potential problems that these differences can pose to designers and developers that use accessibility evaluators that function before browser processing.

Providing indigent care: strategic issues in management, marketing and ethics.

PubMed

Summers, J

1986-08-01

Uncompensated cares poses considerable management, marketing and ethical challenges to health care managers. A variety of responses are examined which offer the possibility of reducing the need for inpatient care and the cost of that care as well as for the enhancement of the organization's positioning in the marketing and sales environment. Some of the programs will require support from local community agencies or employers, but others will be quite feasible without such support. Additionally, the programs build on sensitivity to the hospital mission as opposed to turning away from it.

Caring for yourself during times of organizational change.

PubMed

Cook, C A; Buck, E A

1999-09-01

Mergers, acquisitions, and other organizational changes in the health care system pose many challenges and stresses for nursing leaders. Although considerable effort is expended helping staff adjust to change, nurse managers and executives often neglect their own vulnerability to occupational stress. The personal and organizational costs of managerial burnout are high, sometimes resulting in physical illness, mental exhaustion, and decreased productivity. This article emphasizes the importance of prevention through the recognition of potential or actual signs of organizational stress. Handy tips are provided on effective ways to cope with the stress of organizational change.

Imaging of thymic disorders

PubMed Central

Bogot, Naama R; Quint, Leslie E

2005-01-01

Evaluation of the thymus poses a challenge to the radiologist. In addition to age-related changes in thymic size, shape, and tissue composition, there is considerable variability in the normal adult thymic appearance within any age group. Many different types of disorders may affect the thymus, including hyperplasia, cysts, and benign and malignant neoplasms, both primary and secondary; clinical and imaging findings typical for each disease process are described in this article. Whereas computed tomography is the mainstay for imaging the thymus, other imaging modalities may occasionally provide additional structural or functional information. PMID:16361143

Using physics-based pose predictions and free energy perturbation calculations to predict binding poses and relative binding affinities for FXR ligands in the D3R Grand Challenge 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Athanasiou, Christina; Vasilakaki, Sofia; Dellis, Dimitris; Cournia, Zoe

2018-01-01

Computer-aided drug design has become an integral part of drug discovery and development in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, and is nowadays extensively used in the lead identification and lead optimization phases. The drug design data resource (D3R) organizes challenges against blinded experimental data to prospectively test computational methodologies as an opportunity for improved methods and algorithms to emerge. We participated in Grand Challenge 2 to predict the crystallographic poses of 36 Farnesoid X Receptor (FXR)-bound ligands and the relative binding affinities for two designated subsets of 18 and 15 FXR-bound ligands. Here, we present our methodology for pose and affinity predictions and its evaluation after the release of the experimental data. For predicting the crystallographic poses, we used docking and physics-based pose prediction methods guided by the binding poses of native ligands. For FXR ligands with known chemotypes in the PDB, we accurately predicted their binding modes, while for those with unknown chemotypes the predictions were more challenging. Our group ranked #1st (based on the median RMSD) out of 46 groups, which submitted complete entries for the binding pose prediction challenge. For the relative binding affinity prediction challenge, we performed free energy perturbation (FEP) calculations coupled with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. FEP/MD calculations displayed a high success rate in identifying compounds with better or worse binding affinity than the reference (parent) compound. Our studies suggest that when ligands with chemical precedent are available in the literature, binding pose predictions using docking and physics-based methods are reliable; however, predictions are challenging for ligands with completely unknown chemotypes. We also show that FEP/MD calculations hold predictive value and can nowadays be used in a high throughput mode in a lead optimization project provided that crystal structures of sufficiently high quality are available.

Embolization of palpebral and orbito-frontal fistulas: technical and anatomical considerations in treating high-flow superficial skin lesions with liquid embolics.

PubMed

Samaniego, Edgar A; Fisher, Mark; Hasan, David; Guerrero, Waldo R; Fifi, Johanna T; Bottani, Laura; Ortega-Gutierrez, Santiago

2018-03-01

The treatment of palpebral and periorbital fistulas may be challenging due to the presence of multiple anastomosis with eloquent ophthalmic and intracranial vascular territories. Moreover, cosmetic and functional characteristics of this area pose unique challenges to open surgical approaches and endovascular therapy. We review the advantages and disadvantages of different liquid embolics in treating palpebral and periorbital fistulas as we describe three successfully treated cases. Moreover, we describe important anatomical landmarks that should be considered at the time of treatment of these lesions. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

The challenge of gun control for mental health advocates.

PubMed

Pandya, Anand

2013-09-01

Mass shootings, such as the 2012 Newtown massacre, have repeatedly led to political discourse about limiting access to guns for individuals with serious mental illness. Although the political climate after such tragic events poses a considerable challenge to mental health advocates who wish to minimize unsympathetic portrayals of those with mental illness, such media attention may be a rare opportunity to focus attention on risks of victimization of those with serious mental illness and barriers to obtaining psychiatric care. Current federal gun control laws may discourage individuals from seeking psychiatric treatment and describe individuals with mental illness using anachronistic, imprecise, and gratuitously stigmatizing language. This article lays out potential talking points that may be useful after future gun violence.

Cannabis for Chronic Pain: Challenges and Considerations.

PubMed

Romero-Sandoval, E Alfonso; Fincham, Jack E; Kolano, Ashley L; Sharpe, Brandi N; Alvarado-Vázquez, P Abigail

2018-06-01

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has found substantial evidence that cannabis (plant) is effective for the treatment of chronic pain in adults, and moderate evidence that oromucosal cannabinoids (extracts, especially nabiximols) improve short-term sleep disturbances in chronic pain. The paradoxical superiority of the cannabis plant over cannabinoid molecules represents a challenge for the medical community and the established processes that define modern pharmacy. The expanding and variable legalization of cannabis in multiple states nationwide represents an additional challenge for patients and the medical community because recreational and medicinal cannabis are irresponsibly overlapped. Cannabis designed for recreational use (containing high levels of active ingredients) is increasingly available to patients with chronic pain who do not find relief with current pharmacologic entities, which exposes patients to potential harm. This article analyzes the available scientific evidence to address controversial questions that the current state of cannabis poses for health care professionals and chronic pain patients and sets the basis for a more open discussion about the role of cannabis in modern medicine for pain management. A critical discussion on these points, the legal status of cannabis, and considerations for health care providers is presented. © 2018 Pharmacotherapy Publications, Inc.

The Occurrence of Veterinary Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: A Review

PubMed Central

Kaczala, Fabio; Blum, Shlomo E.

2016-01-01

It is well known that there is a widespread use of veterinary pharmaceuticals and consequent release into different ecosystems such as freshwater bodies and groundwater systems. Furthermore, the use of organic fertilizers produced from animal waste manure has been also responsible for the occurrence of veterinary pharmaceuticals in agricultural soils. This article is a review of different studies focused on the detection and quantification of such compounds in environmental compartments using different analytical techniques. Furthermore, this paper reports the main challenges regarding veterinary pharmaceuticals in terms of analytical methods, detection/quantification of parent compounds and metabolites, and risks/toxicity to human health and aquatic ecosystems. Based on the existing literature, it is clear that only limited data is available regarding veterinary compounds and there are still considerable gaps to be bridged in order to remediate existing problems and prevent future ones. In terms of analytical methods, there are still considerable challenges to overcome considering the large number of existing compounds and respective metabolites. A number of studies highlight the lack of attention given to the detection and quantification of transformation products and metabolites. Furthermore more attention needs to be given in relation to the toxic effects and potential risks that veterinary compounds pose to environmental and human health. To conclude, the more research investigations focused on these subjects take place in the near future, more rapidly we will get a better understanding about the behavior of these compounds and the real risks they pose to aquatic and terrestrial environments and how to properly tackle them. PMID:28579931

Mask manufacturing of advanced technology designs using multi-beam lithography (Part 1)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Michael; Ham, Young; Dillon, Brian; Kasprowicz, Bryan; Hur, Ik Boum; Park, Joong Hee; Choi, Yohan; McMurran, Jeff; Kamberian, Henry; Chalom, Daniel; Klikovits, Jan; Jurkovic, Michal; Hudek, Peter

2016-10-01

As optical lithography is extended into 10nm and below nodes, advanced designs are becoming a key challenge for mask manufacturers. Techniques including advanced Optical Proximity Correction (OPC) and Inverse Lithography Technology (ILT) result in structures that pose a range of issues across the mask manufacturing process. Among the new challenges are continued shrinking Sub-Resolution Assist Features (SRAFs), curvilinear SRAFs, and other complex mask geometries that are counter-intuitive relative to the desired wafer pattern. Considerable capability improvements over current mask making methods are necessary to meet the new requirements particularly regarding minimum feature resolution and pattern fidelity. Advanced processes using the IMS Multi-beam Mask Writer (MBMW) are feasible solutions to these coming challenges. In this paper, we study one such process, characterizing mask manufacturing capability of 10nm and below structures with particular focus on minimum resolution and pattern fidelity.

Mask manufacturing of advanced technology designs using multi-beam lithography (part 2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, Michael; Ham, Young; Dillon, Brian; Kasprowicz, Bryan; Hur, Ik Boum; Park, Joong Hee; Choi, Yohan; McMurran, Jeff; Kamberian, Henry; Chalom, Daniel; Klikovits, Jan; Jurkovic, Michal; Hudek, Peter

2016-09-01

As optical lithography is extended into 10nm and below nodes, advanced designs are becoming a key challenge for mask manufacturers. Techniques including advanced optical proximity correction (OPC) and Inverse Lithography Technology (ILT) result in structures that pose a range of issues across the mask manufacturing process. Among the new challenges are continued shrinking sub-resolution assist features (SRAFs), curvilinear SRAFs, and other complex mask geometries that are counter-intuitive relative to the desired wafer pattern. Considerable capability improvements over current mask making methods are necessary to meet the new requirements particularly regarding minimum feature resolution and pattern fidelity. Advanced processes using the IMS Multi-beam Mask Writer (MBMW) are feasible solutions to these coming challenges. In this paper, Part 2 of our study, we further characterize an MBMW process for 10nm and below logic node mask manufacturing including advanced pattern analysis and write time demonstration.

Tourette syndrome in children and adolescents: special considerations.

PubMed

Eapen, Valsamma; Crncec, Rudi

2009-12-01

Tourette syndrome (TS) affects people of all ages, with onset in early childhood and continuing through the different stages of the life cycle into adolescence and adults. This review focuses on barriers to diagnosis and challenges in the management of young patients with TS. Barriers to identification occur at multiple levels, including detection in the community setting (including schools), parents' help-seeking behavior, and cultural influences on such behavior, as well as diagnosis by the medical provider. Challenges to management include unfamiliarity of primary care providers, inconsistencies in the diagnosis and management plan, and failure to recognize comorbid conditions, as well as inadequate knowledge and lack of resources to effectively deal with comorbidities. In addition to the complexities posed by pharmacological interactions, there are unique psychosocial challenges experienced by young people with TS and their families. Effective communication and collaboration between families, health care providers, and school personnel, as well as supportive communities, are essential components of comprehensive management.

Barriers and Strategies Related to Qualitative Research on Genetic Ancestry Testing in Indigenous Communities.

PubMed

Blanchard, Jessica W; Tallbull, Gloria; Wolpert, Chantelle; Powell, Jill; Foster, Morris W; Royal, Charmaine

2017-07-01

Conducting genetics-related research with populations that have historically experienced considerable harm and little benefit from genetics research poses unique challenges for understanding community-based perceptions of new genetic technologies. This article identifies challenges and strategies for collecting qualitative data on the perceptions of direct-to-consumer (DTC) Genetic Ancestry tests (GAT) among diverse Indigenous communities. Based on a 3-year project related to perceptions, attitudes, and values associated with genetic ancestry testing among diverse Indigenous communities in Oklahoma, the engagement process revealed specific opportunities to improve the process of qualitative data collection related to GAT, and more broadly, to conduct genetics-related research with Indigenous communities in culturally and methodologically appropriate ways. Priority areas include issues related to participant recruitment and tribal advisory boards, challenges of self-identification as a recruitment mechanism, and the necessity of including Indigenous researchers in all aspects of the research process.

Radiation Hardness Assurance (RHA): Challenges and New Considerations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campola, Michael J.

2017-01-01

Use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components and emerging technologies often require space flight missions to accept elevated risk. The Radiation Hardness Assurance (RHA) flow includes environment definition, hazard evaluation, requirements definition, evaluation of design, and design trades to accommodate and mitigate the risk a project or program takes. Depending on the mission profile and environment, different missions may not necessarily benefit from the same risk reduction efforts or cost reduction attempts. While this poses challenges for the radiation engineer, it also presents opportunities to tailor the RHA flow to minimize risk based on the environment or design criticality while remaining within budget. This presentation will focus on an approach to RHA amidst the present challenges, using the same RHA flow as in the past, with examples from recent radiation test results. The current challenges and the types of risk will be identified. How these risks drive requirements development and realization will be explained with examples of device results and data for single event effects (SEE) and in one case total ionizing dose (TID).

Methodological challenges of validating a clinical decision-making tool in the practice environment.

PubMed

Brennan, Caitlin W; Daly, Barbara J

2015-04-01

Validating a measurement tool intended for use in the practice environment poses challenges that may not be present when validating a tool intended solely for research purposes. The aim of this article is to describe the methodological challenges of validating a clinical decision-making tool, the Oncology Acuity Tool, which nurses use to make nurse assignment and staffing decisions prospectively each shift. Data were derived from a larger validation study, during which several methodological challenges arose. Revisions to the tool, including conducting iterative feedback cycles with end users, were necessary before the validation study was initiated. The "true" value of patient acuity is unknown, and thus, two approaches to inter-rater reliability assessment were used. Discordant perspectives existed between experts and end users. Balancing psychometric rigor with clinical relevance may be achieved through establishing research-practice partnerships, seeking active and continuous feedback with end users, and weighing traditional statistical rules of thumb with practical considerations. © The Author(s) 2014.

[Evaluative designs in public health: methodological considerations].

PubMed

López, Ma José; Marí-Dell'Olmo, Marc; Pérez-Giménez, Anna; Nebot, Manel

2011-06-01

Evaluation of public health interventions poses numerous methodological challenges. Randomization of individuals is not always feasible and interventions are usually composed of multiple factors. To face these challenges, certain elements, such as the selection of the most appropriate design and the use of a statistical analysis that includes potential confounders, are essential. The objective of this article was to describe the most frequently used designs in the evaluation of public health interventions (policies, programs or campaigns). The characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of each of these evaluative designs are described. Additionally, a brief explanation of the most commonly used statistical analysis in each of these designs is provided. Copyright © 2011 Sociedad Española de Salud Pública y Administración Sanitaria. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Double valve replacement in a patient with implantable cardioverter defibrillator with severe left ventricular dysfunction.

PubMed

Manjunath, Girish; Rao, Prakash; Prakash, Nagendra; Shivaram, B K

2016-01-01

Recent data from landmark trials suggest that the indications for cardiac pacing and implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) are set to expand to include heart failure, sleep-disordered breathing, and possibly routine implantation in patients with myocardial infarction and poor ventricular function.[1] This will inevitably result in more patients with cardiac devices undergoing surgeries. Perioperative electromagnetic interference and their potential effects on ICDs pose considerable challenges to the anesthesiologists.[2] We present a case of a patient with automatic ICD with severe left ventricular dysfunction posted for double valve replacement.

A Synergy-Based Optimally Designed Sensing Glove for Functional Grasp Recognition

PubMed Central

Ciotti, Simone; Battaglia, Edoardo; Carbonaro, Nicola; Bicchi, Antonio; Tognetti, Alessandro; Bianchi, Matteo

2016-01-01

Achieving accurate and reliable kinematic hand pose reconstructions represents a challenging task. The main reason for this is the complexity of hand biomechanics, where several degrees of freedom are distributed along a continuous deformable structure. Wearable sensing can represent a viable solution to tackle this issue, since it enables a more natural kinematic monitoring. However, the intrinsic accuracy (as well as the number of sensing elements) of wearable hand pose reconstruction (HPR) systems can be severely limited by ergonomics and cost considerations. In this paper, we combined the theoretical foundations of the optimal design of HPR devices based on hand synergy information, i.e., the inter-joint covariation patterns, with textile goniometers based on knitted piezoresistive fabrics (KPF) technology, to develop, for the first time, an optimally-designed under-sensed glove for measuring hand kinematics. We used only five sensors optimally placed on the hand and completed hand pose reconstruction (described according to a kinematic model with 19 degrees of freedom) leveraging upon synergistic information. The reconstructions we obtained from five different subjects were used to implement an unsupervised method for the recognition of eight functional grasps, showing a high degree of accuracy and robustness. PMID:27271621

A Synergy-Based Optimally Designed Sensing Glove for Functional Grasp Recognition.

PubMed

Ciotti, Simone; Battaglia, Edoardo; Carbonaro, Nicola; Bicchi, Antonio; Tognetti, Alessandro; Bianchi, Matteo

2016-06-02

Achieving accurate and reliable kinematic hand pose reconstructions represents a challenging task. The main reason for this is the complexity of hand biomechanics, where several degrees of freedom are distributed along a continuous deformable structure. Wearable sensing can represent a viable solution to tackle this issue, since it enables a more natural kinematic monitoring. However, the intrinsic accuracy (as well as the number of sensing elements) of wearable hand pose reconstruction (HPR) systems can be severely limited by ergonomics and cost considerations. In this paper, we combined the theoretical foundations of the optimal design of HPR devices based on hand synergy information, i.e., the inter-joint covariation patterns, with textile goniometers based on knitted piezoresistive fabrics (KPF) technology, to develop, for the first time, an optimally-designed under-sensed glove for measuring hand kinematics. We used only five sensors optimally placed on the hand and completed hand pose reconstruction (described according to a kinematic model with 19 degrees of freedom) leveraging upon synergistic information. The reconstructions we obtained from five different subjects were used to implement an unsupervised method for the recognition of eight functional grasps, showing a high degree of accuracy and robustness.

A national plan for assisting states, federal agencies, and tribes in managing white-nose syndrome in bats

USGS Publications Warehouse

,; ,; ,; ,; ,; ,; ,; ,; ,; ,; ,; ,; ,; ,

2011-01-01

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a disease responsible for unprecedented mortality in hibernating bats in the northeastern U.S. This previously unrecognized disease has spread very rapidly since its discovery in January 2007, and poses a considerable threat to hibernating bats throughout North America. As WNS spreads, the challenges for understanding and managing the disease continue to increase. Given the escalating complexity of these challenges, a highly coordinated effort is required for State, Federal, and Tribal wildlife agencies, and private partners to respond effectively to WNS and conserve species of bats. The plan proposed herein details the elements that are critical to the investigation and management of WNS, identifies key action items to address stated goals, and outlines the role(s) of agencies and entities involved in this continental effort.

Common threads? Palliative care service developments in seven European countries.

PubMed

Clark, D; ten Have, H; Janssens, R

2000-11-01

Since the late 1960s hospice and palliative care services have been developing in many European countries. Although attention has been given to patterns of development in specific national contexts, so far we lack a comparative understanding of how these services are organized and delivered. Such a comparison poses certain practical and methodological difficulties. It does, however, allow a wider view of the current provision of palliative care in Europe, together with a consideration of implications for the future. We report on an analysis of palliative care developments in seven European countries which gave attention to early origins, patterns of provision, and structural and policy integration. We conclude that, despite different processes of development, the emergent discipline of palliative care now finds its most congenial home within the structures of the formal health care system. Accordingly, inequities between the seven countries can be more clearly identified, posing continuing challenges to policy makers and planners who operate with a European perspective.

Analysis of the physiotherapy industry: challenges for marketing.

PubMed

Sheppard, L

1996-01-01

The physiotherapy industry can be analysed using Porter's (1979) five forces. Physiotherapy uses medical, geographic and funding segmentation. The power of the buyers in these segments is considerable. Substitutes are posing a threat to physiotherapy with few barriers to entry to operate in the health care environment. The suppliers, particularly doctors, have significant power in referring clients. Competitive rivalry for these clients can exist between individual physiotherapists and multi-disciplinary clinics. The difference in orientation of private and public physiotherapy can also be a basis for rivalry. Repositioning to view the client as both the supplier and recipients enables the physiotherapy industry to gain competitive advantage and ensures long term growth.

[Principles of intervertebral disc assessment in private accident insurance].

PubMed

Steinmetz, M; Dittrich, V; Röser, K

2015-09-01

Due to the spread of intervertebral disc degeneration, insurance companies and experts are regularly confronted with related assessments of insured persons under their private accident insurance. These claims pose a particular challenge for experts, since, in addition to the clinical assessment of the facts, extensive knowledge of general accident insurance conditions, case law and current study findings is required. Each case can only be properly assessed through simultaneous consideration of both the medical and legal facts. These guidelines serve as the basis for experts and claims.managers with respect to the appropriate individual factual assessment of intervertebral disc degeneration in private accident insurance.

Bilateral isolated submandibular gland mumps.

PubMed

Cheung, Linnea; Henderson, Arthur Harry; Banfield, Graham; Carswell, Andrew

2017-06-05

Isolated submandibular swellings pose a diagnostic challenge to the practising otolaryngologist. We report an unusual case of mumps isolated to bilateral submandibular glands. We discuss the case and the literature surrounding this condition and remind clinicians that mumps should be considered as a diagnosis in the presence of submandibular gland swelling in the absence of typical parotid swelling associated with mumps. Early consideration of this differential diagnosis, serological testing and a multidisciplinary approach may help to clinch the diagnosis earlier and prevent spread of the virus. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

"What is genuine maternal love"? Clinical considerations and technique n psychoanalytic parent-infant psychotherapy.

PubMed

Baradon, Tessa

2005-01-01

The question of what is genuine maternal love was posed by a mother struggling to understand and value the nature of her bond with her small baby. The question surfaced time and again in the context of this dyad's long-term parent-infant psychotherapy and has challenged me to examine my thinking and, indeed, has produced impassioned discussions within the Parent Infant Project team at The Anna Freud Centre. In this paper I will address this question through sessional material of this mother and baby and discuss issues of technique in response to it, including my countertransference and conceptualization.

Rethinking exploitation: a process-centered account.

PubMed

Jansen, Lynn A; Wall, Steven

2013-12-01

Exploitation has become an important topic in recent discussions of biomedical and research ethics. This is due in no small measure to the influence of Alan Wertheimer's path-breaking work on the subject. This paper presents some objections to Wertheimer's account of the concept. The objections attempt to show that his account places too much emphasis on outcome-based considerations and too little on process-based considerations. Building on these objections, the paper develops an alternative process-centered account of the concept. This alternative account of exploitation takes as its point of departure the broadly Kantian notion that it is wrong to use another as an instrument for the advancement of one's own ends. It sharpens this slippery notion and adds a number of refinements to it. The paper concludes by arguing that process-centered accounts of exploitation better illuminate the ethical challenges posed by research on human subjects than outcome-centered accounts.

Potential Use of Phenolic Acids as Anti-Candida Agents: A Review

PubMed Central

Teodoro, Guilherme R.; Ellepola, Kassapa; Seneviratne, Chaminda J.; Koga-Ito, Cristiane Y.

2015-01-01

There has been a sharp rise in the occurrence of Candida infections and associated mortality over the last few years, due to the growing body of immunocompromised population. Limited number of currently available antifungal agents, undesirable side effects and toxicity, as well as emergence of resistant strains pose a considerable clinical challenge for the treatment of candidiasis. Therefore, molecules that derived from natural sources exhibiting considerable antifungal properties are a promising source for the development of novel anti-candidal therapy. Phenolic compounds isolated from natural sources possess antifungal properties of interest. Particularly, phenolic acids have shown promising in vitro and in vivo activity against Candida species. However, studies on their mechanism of action alone or in synergism with known antifungals are still scarce. This review attempts to discuss the potential use, proposed mechanisms of action and limitations of the phenolic acids in anti-candidal therapy. PMID:26733965

Incorporating Exercise Into the Cancer Treatment Paradigm.

PubMed

Haas, Barbara K; Hermanns, Melinda; Kimmel, Gary

2016-12-01

The benefits of exercise for patients with cancer are well documented. However, exercise is still not a standard of care for this population. Several factors contribute to the lack of exercise prescriptions for patients with cancer, including challenges posed by treatment-related side effects, lack of knowledge among healthcare providers and the laypeople, and inadequate resources. This article reviews the benefits of exercise in general and specifically to patients with cancer, discusses the specific challenges and considerations required in recommending exercise to this population, and provides specific recommendations for healthcare providers to incorporate exercise into treatment plans. Using a case study exemplar, this article discusses the benefits and challenges to exercise while undergoing treatment for cancer and proposes specific solutions and recommendations. Oncology practitioners can provide the opportunity for patients to safely engage in exercise with the appropriate resources and trained personnel using a successful model of delivering exercise to patients undergoing treatment for cancer. Exercise improves quality of life in all patients, including those with advanced-stage cancers and those actively receiving treatment.

Modelling Glacial Lake Outburst Floods: Key Considerations and Challenges Posed By Climatic Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westoby, M.

2014-12-01

The number and size of moraine-dammed supraglacial and proglacial lakes is increasing as a result of contemporary climatic change. Moraine-dammed lakes are capable of impounding volumes of water in excess of 107 m3, and often represent a very real threat to downstream communities and infrastructure, should the bounding moraine fail and produce a catastrophic Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF). Modelling the individual components of a GLOF, including a triggering event, the complex dam-breaching process and downstream propagation of the flood is incredibly challenging, not least because direct observation and instrumentation of such high-magnitude flows is virtually impossible. We briefly review the current state-of-the-art in numerical GLOF modelling, with a focus on the theoretical and computational challenges associated with reconstructing or predicting GLOF dynamics in the face of rates of cryospheric change that have no historical precedent, as well as various implications for researchers and professionals tasked with the production of hazard maps and disaster mitigation strategies.

Social Media in the Dental School Environment, Part A: Benefits, Challenges, and Recommendations for Use.

PubMed

Spallek, Heiko; Turner, Sharon P; Donate-Bartfield, Evelyn; Chambers, David; McAndrew, Maureen; Zarkowski, Pamela; Karimbux, Nadeem

2015-10-01

Social media consist of powerful tools that impact not only communication but relationships among people, thus posing an inherent challenge to the traditional standards of who we are as dental educators and what we can expect of each other. This article examines how the world of social media has changed dental education. Its goal is to outline the complex issues that social media use presents for academic dental institutions and to examine these issues from personal, professional, and legal perspectives. After providing an update on social media, the article considers the advantages and risks associated with the use of social media at the interpersonal, professional, and institutional levels. Policies and legal issues of which academic dental institutions need to be aware from a compliance perspective are examined, along with considerations and resources needed to develop effective social media policies. The challenge facing dental educators is how to capitalize on the benefits that social media offer, while minimizing risks and complying with the various forms of legal constraint.

Communication Challenges and Strategies of U.S. Health Professionals Caring for Seriously Ill South Asian Patients and Their Families.

PubMed

Khosla, Nidhi; Washington, Karla T; Shaunfield, Sara; Aslakson, Rebecca

2017-06-01

While effective communication is important in the care of seriously ill patients, little is known about communication challenges faced by healthcare providers serving U.S. patients of South Asian origin, one of the fastest growing demographic groups in the United States. Researchers sought to examine communication challenges faced by healthcare providers serving seriously ill South Asian patients and their families and present strategies recommended by providers for effective communication. Researchers conducted a thematic analysis of qualitative data obtained through focus groups and individual interviews with 57 healthcare providers, including physicians, social workers, nurses, chaplains, and others drawn from different healthcare settings in one Midwestern city. While acknowledging the considerable diversity within the U.S. South Asian community, participants discussed three types of communication challenges they often encounter when serving this population: ensuring effective interpretation, identifying a spokesperson, and challenges posed by different cultural norms. Participants shared strategies to address these challenges such as proactively inquiring about patients' and families' preferences and encouraging early appointment of a spokesperson. While providers should avoid stereotyping patients, an awareness of common challenges and adoption of recommended strategies to address these challenges may enhance the provision of culturally responsive person-centered services for seriously ill South Asian patients and their families receiving care in the United States.

Lessons learned in induced fit docking and metadynamics in the Drug Design Data Resource Grand Challenge 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumgartner, Matthew P.; Evans, David A.

2018-01-01

Two of the major ongoing challenges in computational drug discovery are predicting the binding pose and affinity of a compound to a protein. The Drug Design Data Resource Grand Challenge 2 was developed to address these problems and to drive development of new methods. The challenge provided the 2D structures of compounds for which the organizers help blinded data in the form of 35 X-ray crystal structures and 102 binding affinity measurements and challenged participants to predict the binding pose and affinity of the compounds. We tested a number of pose prediction methods as part of the challenge; we found that docking methods that incorporate protein flexibility (Induced Fit Docking) outperformed methods that treated the protein as rigid. We also found that using binding pose metadynamics, a molecular dynamics based method, to score docked poses provided the best predictions of our methods with an average RMSD of 2.01 Å. We tested both structure-based (e.g. docking) and ligand-based methods (e.g. QSAR) in the affinity prediction portion of the competition. We found that our structure-based methods based on docking with Smina (Spearman ρ = 0.614), performed slightly better than our ligand-based methods (ρ = 0.543), and had equivalent performance with the other top methods in the competition. Despite the overall good performance of our methods in comparison to other participants in the challenge, there exists significant room for improvement especially in cases such as these where protein flexibility plays such a large role.

Collaborative risk governance in informal urban areas: The case of Wallacedene temporary relocation area

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Community-based disaster risk management (CBDRM) is an emancipatory approach that aims to empower local communities in reducing their own risks. A community risk assessment (CRA) is an essential element of CBDRM, incorporating highly participatory processes of hazard identification and vulnerability analysis. By incorporating local knowledge and insights, together with those contributed by other external role players, the nature of local risks can be more accurately identified, giving consideration to their causal factors, the nature of their realised impacts or potential effects on a local community and the challenges posed in addressing them. Reflecting on the process and outcomes of a CRA conducted in an informal settlement in the Cape Town metropolitan area, this article describes how one such risk assessment contributed to building local agency through a process of collaborative engagement. Offered as an example of possible best practice, it illustrates both the immediate and potentially longer term benefits to be derived from such a collaborative process, suggesting that a community-based risk assessment may contribute significantly to building more resilient communities. It concludes with a consideration of the challenges of sustaining longer term risk reduction efforts.

Security Planning and Policies to Meet the Challenges of Climate Change

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

Security Climate change poses challenges to societies and governments that go far beyond the alteration of our environment. The physical impacts of...capacity of governments to respond. In this sense, the growing likelihood of events such as mass migrations, crop failures, economic shocks, public...riots and violence, floods and other natural disasters, widespread epidemics, and competition for resources pose serious challenges for governments and

Easier said than done: challenges of applying the Ecohealth approach to the study on heavy metals exposure among indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazon

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The renewed interest in community participation in health research is linked to its potential for bridging gaps between research and practice. Its main attributes are the generation of knowledge that can lead to socially robust, long-lasting solutions and the creation of a co-learner relationship between researchers and research users. Following this philosophy, Ecohealth has evolved into a specialized framework for participatory research on the impact of pollution on ecosystems and human health. However, its principles pose considerable challenges. Its outcomes are strongly influenced by contextual factors that are impossible to control for ahead of time. This paper describes how the Ecohealth principles were applied to an epidemiological study of heavy metals exposure among indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazon. It illustrates how knowledge generated from participatory research does not necessarily imply solving a public health problem. This study aimed to contribute to the understanding of the benefits and barriers of following the basic principles of the Ecohealth approach, and assist researchers working in similar contexts. Research process Based upon their personal experience as participant observers, the authors describe the research process; then, they discuss the most important challenges faced, their implications, and the attempted strategies for resolution. Challenges Challenges were grouped into four themes: (1) building trust; (2) one partnership, many stakeholders, multiple agendas; (3) being a researcher; and (4) communicating complex and unexpected findings. Conclusions Integrating the principles of transdisciplinarity and participation posed a series of challenges to the research process that were difficult, and sometimes impossible to overcome. However, positive outcomes from this experience were the lessons learned by the different actors. Despite the lack of immediate action, it is expected that useful interventions to prevent and control lead exposure in the Corrientes population will be implemented in the medium term. PMID:23642035

Prospective evaluation of shape similarity based pose prediction method in D3R Grand Challenge 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Ashutosh; Zhang, Kam Y. J.

2016-09-01

Evaluation of ligand three-dimensional (3D) shape similarity is one of the commonly used approaches to identify ligands similar to one or more known active compounds from a library of small molecules. Apart from using ligand shape similarity as a virtual screening tool, its role in pose prediction and pose scoring has also been reported. We have recently developed a method that utilizes ligand 3D shape similarity with known crystallographic ligands to predict binding poses of query ligands. Here, we report the prospective evaluation of our pose prediction method through the participation in drug design data resource (D3R) Grand Challenge 2015. Our pose prediction method was used to predict binding poses of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) and mitogen activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase (MAP4K4) ligands and it was able to predict the pose within 2 Å root mean square deviation (RMSD) either as the top pose or among the best of five poses in a majority of cases. Specifically for HSP90 protein, a median RMSD of 0.73 and 0.68 Å was obtained for the top and the best of five predictions respectively. For MAP4K4 target, although the median RMSD for our top prediction was only 2.87 Å but the median RMSD of 1.67 Å for the best of five predictions was well within the limit for successful prediction. Furthermore, the performance of our pose prediction method for HSP90 and MAP4K4 ligands was always among the top five groups. Particularly, for MAP4K4 protein our pose prediction method was ranked number one both in terms of mean and median RMSD when the best of five predictions were considered. Overall, our D3R Grand Challenge 2015 results demonstrated that ligand 3D shape similarity with the crystal ligand is sufficient to predict binding poses of new ligands with acceptable accuracy.

The Challenge of Timely, Responsive and Rigorous Ethics Review of Disaster Research: Views of Research Ethics Committee Members.

PubMed

Hunt, Matthew; Tansey, Catherine M; Anderson, James; Boulanger, Renaud F; Eckenwiler, Lisa; Pringle, John; Schwartz, Lisa

2016-01-01

Research conducted following natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods or hurricanes is crucial for improving relief interventions. Such research, however, poses ethical, methodological and logistical challenges for researchers. Oversight of disaster research also poses challenges for research ethics committees (RECs), in part due to the rapid turnaround needed to initiate research after a disaster. Currently, there is limited knowledge available about how RECs respond to and appraise disaster research. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the experiences of REC members who had reviewed disaster research conducted in low- or middle-income countries. We used interpretive description methodology and conducted in-depth interviews with 15 respondents. Respondents were chairs, members, advisors, or coordinators from 13 RECs, including RECs affiliated with universities, governments, international organizations, a for-profit REC, and an ad hoc committee established during a disaster. Interviews were analyzed inductively using constant comparative techniques. Through this process, three elements were identified as characterizing effective and high-quality review: timeliness, responsiveness and rigorousness. To ensure timeliness, many RECs rely on adaptations of review procedures for urgent protocols. Respondents emphasized that responsive review requires awareness of and sensitivity to the particularities of disaster settings and disaster research. Rigorous review was linked with providing careful assessment of ethical considerations related to the research, as well as ensuring independence of the review process. Both the frequency of disasters and the conduct of disaster research are on the rise. Ensuring effective and high quality review of disaster research is crucial, yet challenges, including time pressures for urgent protocols, exist for achieving this goal. Adapting standard REC procedures may be necessary. However, steps should be taken to ensure that ethics review of disaster research remains diligent and thorough.

The Challenge of Timely, Responsive and Rigorous Ethics Review of Disaster Research: Views of Research Ethics Committee Members

PubMed Central

Hunt, Matthew; Tansey, Catherine M.

2016-01-01

Background Research conducted following natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods or hurricanes is crucial for improving relief interventions. Such research, however, poses ethical, methodological and logistical challenges for researchers. Oversight of disaster research also poses challenges for research ethics committees (RECs), in part due to the rapid turnaround needed to initiate research after a disaster. Currently, there is limited knowledge available about how RECs respond to and appraise disaster research. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the experiences of REC members who had reviewed disaster research conducted in low- or middle-income countries. Methods We used interpretive description methodology and conducted in-depth interviews with 15 respondents. Respondents were chairs, members, advisors, or coordinators from 13 RECs, including RECs affiliated with universities, governments, international organizations, a for-profit REC, and an ad hoc committee established during a disaster. Interviews were analyzed inductively using constant comparative techniques. Results Through this process, three elements were identified as characterizing effective and high-quality review: timeliness, responsiveness and rigorousness. To ensure timeliness, many RECs rely on adaptations of review procedures for urgent protocols. Respondents emphasized that responsive review requires awareness of and sensitivity to the particularities of disaster settings and disaster research. Rigorous review was linked with providing careful assessment of ethical considerations related to the research, as well as ensuring independence of the review process. Conclusion Both the frequency of disasters and the conduct of disaster research are on the rise. Ensuring effective and high quality review of disaster research is crucial, yet challenges, including time pressures for urgent protocols, exist for achieving this goal. Adapting standard REC procedures may be necessary. However, steps should be taken to ensure that ethics review of disaster research remains diligent and thorough. PMID:27327165

Combining in silico and in cerebro approaches for virtual screening and pose prediction in SAMPL4.

PubMed

Voet, Arnout R D; Kumar, Ashutosh; Berenger, Francois; Zhang, Kam Y J

2014-04-01

The SAMPL challenges provide an ideal opportunity for unbiased evaluation and comparison of different approaches used in computational drug design. During the fourth round of this SAMPL challenge, we participated in the virtual screening and binding pose prediction on inhibitors targeting the HIV-1 integrase enzyme. For virtual screening, we used well known and widely used in silico methods combined with personal in cerebro insights and experience. Regular docking only performed slightly better than random selection, but the performance was significantly improved upon incorporation of additional filters based on pharmacophore queries and electrostatic similarities. The best performance was achieved when logical selection was added. For the pose prediction, we utilized a similar consensus approach that amalgamated the results of the Glide-XP docking with structural knowledge and rescoring. The pose prediction results revealed that docking displayed reasonable performance in predicting the binding poses. However, prediction performance can be improved utilizing scientific experience and rescoring approaches. In both the virtual screening and pose prediction challenges, the top performance was achieved by our approaches. Here we describe the methods and strategies used in our approaches and discuss the rationale of their performances.

Combining in silico and in cerebro approaches for virtual screening and pose prediction in SAMPL4

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voet, Arnout R. D.; Kumar, Ashutosh; Berenger, Francois; Zhang, Kam Y. J.

2014-04-01

The SAMPL challenges provide an ideal opportunity for unbiased evaluation and comparison of different approaches used in computational drug design. During the fourth round of this SAMPL challenge, we participated in the virtual screening and binding pose prediction on inhibitors targeting the HIV-1 integrase enzyme. For virtual screening, we used well known and widely used in silico methods combined with personal in cerebro insights and experience. Regular docking only performed slightly better than random selection, but the performance was significantly improved upon incorporation of additional filters based on pharmacophore queries and electrostatic similarities. The best performance was achieved when logical selection was added. For the pose prediction, we utilized a similar consensus approach that amalgamated the results of the Glide-XP docking with structural knowledge and rescoring. The pose prediction results revealed that docking displayed reasonable performance in predicting the binding poses. However, prediction performance can be improved utilizing scientific experience and rescoring approaches. In both the virtual screening and pose prediction challenges, the top performance was achieved by our approaches. Here we describe the methods and strategies used in our approaches and discuss the rationale of their performances.

Conducting Science in Disasters: Recommendations from the NIEHS Working Group for Special IRB Considerations in the Review of Disaster Related Research.

PubMed

Packenham, Joan P; Rosselli, Richard T; Ramsey, Steve K; Taylor, Holly A; Fothergill, Alice; Slutsman, Julia; Miller, Aubrey

2017-09-25

Research involving human subjects after public health emergencies and disasters may pose ethical challenges. These challenges may include concerns about the vulnerability of prospective disaster research participants, increased research burden among disaster survivors approached by multiple research teams, and potentially reduced standards in the ethical review of research by institutional review boards (IRBs) due to the rush to enter the disaster field. The NIEHS Best Practices Working Group for Special IRB Considerations in the Review of Disaster Related Research was formed to identify and address ethical and regulatory challenges associated with the review of disaster research. The working group consists of a diverse collection of disaster research stakeholders across a broad spectrum of disciplines. The working group convened in July 2016 to identify recommendations that are instrumental in preparing IRBs to review protocols related to public health emergencies and disasters. The meeting included formative didactic presentations and facilitated breakout discussions using disaster-related case studies. Major thematic elements from these discussions were collected and documented into 15 working group recommendations, summarized in this article, that address topics such as IRB disaster preparedness activities, informed consent, vulnerable populations, confidentiality, participant burden, disaster research response integration and training, IRB roles/responsibilities, community engagement, and dissemination of disaster research results. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2378.

Conducting Science in Disasters: Recommendations from the NIEHS Working Group for Special IRB Considerations in the Review of Disaster Related Research

PubMed Central

Rosselli, Richard T.; Ramsey, Steve K.; Taylor, Holly A.; Fothergill, Alice; Slutsman, Julia; Miller, Aubrey

2017-01-01

Summary: Research involving human subjects after public health emergencies and disasters may pose ethical challenges. These challenges may include concerns about the vulnerability of prospective disaster research participants, increased research burden among disaster survivors approached by multiple research teams, and potentially reduced standards in the ethical review of research by institutional review boards (IRBs) due to the rush to enter the disaster field. The NIEHS Best Practices Working Group for Special IRB Considerations in the Review of Disaster Related Research was formed to identify and address ethical and regulatory challenges associated with the review of disaster research. The working group consists of a diverse collection of disaster research stakeholders across a broad spectrum of disciplines. The working group convened in July 2016 to identify recommendations that are instrumental in preparing IRBs to review protocols related to public health emergencies and disasters. The meeting included formative didactic presentations and facilitated breakout discussions using disaster-related case studies. Major thematic elements from these discussions were collected and documented into 15 working group recommendations, summarized in this article, that address topics such as IRB disaster preparedness activities, informed consent, vulnerable populations, confidentiality, participant burden, disaster research response integration and training, IRB roles/responsibilities, community engagement, and dissemination of disaster research results. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP2378 PMID:28949918

Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Web Academy Webinar: An Introduction to Lithium Batteries and the Challenges that they Pose to the Waste and Recycling Industry

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This is a webinar page for the Sustainable Management of Materials (SMM) Web Academy webinar titled, An Introduction to Lithium Batteries and the Challenges that they Pose to the Waste and Recycling Industry.

Career Counseling and the Information Highway: Heeding the Road Signs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Halloran, Theresa M.; Fahr, Alicia V.; Keller, Jenny R.

2002-01-01

Traveling the "information highway" in the process of career counseling or providing career counseling services via the Internet pose additional challenges for counselors. The authors use current ethical guidelines to guide discussion of, and possible resolutions to, challenges posed by incorporating the Internet into career counseling. (Contains…

Science, technology, and application of THz air photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, X. F.; Clough, B.; Ho, I.-C.; Kaur, G.; Liu, J.; Karpowicz, N.; Dai, J. M.; Zhang, X.-C.

2010-11-01

The significant scientific and technological potential of terahertz (THz) wave sensing and imaging has been attracted considerable attention within many fields of research. However, the development of remote, broadband THz wave sensing technology is lagging behind the compelling needs that exist in the areas of astronomy, global environmental monitoring, and homeland security. This is due to the challenge posed by high absorption of ambient moisture in the THz range. Although various time-domain THz detection techniques have recently been demonstrated, the requirement for an on-site bias or forward collection of the optical signal inevitably prohibits their applications for remote sensing. The objective of this paper is to report updated THz air-plasma technology to meet this great challenge of remote sensing. A focused optical pulse (mJ pulse energy and femtosecond pulse duration) in gas creates a plasma, which can serve to generate intense, broadband, and directional THz waves in the far field.

Challenges and solutions to pre- and post-randomization subgroup analyses.

PubMed

Desai, Manisha; Pieper, Karen S; Mahaffey, Ken

2014-01-01

Subgroup analyses are commonly performed in the clinical trial setting with the purpose of illustrating that the treatment effect was consistent across different patient characteristics or identifying characteristics that should be targeted for treatment. There are statistical issues involved in performing subgroup analyses, however. These have been given considerable attention in the literature for analyses where subgroups are defined by a pre-randomization feature. Although subgroup analyses are often performed with subgroups defined by a post-randomization feature--including analyses that estimate the treatment effect among compliers--discussion of these analyses has been neglected in the clinical literature. Such analyses pose a high risk of presenting biased descriptions of treatment effects. We summarize the challenges of doing all types of subgroup analyses described in the literature. In particular, we emphasize issues with post-randomization subgroup analyses. Finally, we provide guidelines on how to proceed across the spectrum of subgroup analyses.

Psychophysics and Neuronal Bases of Sound Localization in Humans

PubMed Central

Ahveninen, Jyrki; Kopco, Norbert; Jääskeläinen, Iiro P.

2013-01-01

Localization of sound sources is a considerable computational challenge for the human brain. Whereas the visual system can process basic spatial information in parallel, the auditory system lacks a straightforward correspondence between external spatial locations and sensory receptive fields. Consequently, the question how different acoustic features supporting spatial hearing are represented in the central nervous system is still open. Functional neuroimaging studies in humans have provided evidence for a posterior auditory “where” pathway that encompasses non-primary auditory cortex areas, including the planum temporale (PT) and posterior superior temporal gyrus (STG), which are strongly activated by horizontal sound direction changes, distance changes, and movement. However, these areas are also activated by a wide variety of other stimulus features, posing a challenge for the interpretation that the underlying areas are purely spatial. This review discusses behavioral and neuroimaging studies on sound localization, and some of the competing models of representation of auditory space in humans. PMID:23886698

Nucleic acids-based tools for ballast water surveillance, monitoring, and research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darling, John A.; Frederick, Raymond M.

2018-03-01

Understanding the risks of biological invasion posed by ballast water-whether in the context of compliance testing, routine monitoring, or basic research-is fundamentally an exercise in biodiversity assessment, and as such should take advantage of the best tools available for tackling that problem. The past several decades have seen growing application of genetic methods for the study of biodiversity, driven in large part by dramatic technological advances in nucleic acids analysis. Monitoring approaches based on such methods have the potential to increase dramatically sampling throughput for biodiversity assessments, and to improve on the sensitivity, specificity, and taxonomic accuracy of traditional approaches. The application of targeted detection tools (largely focused on PCR but increasingly incorporating novel probe-based methodologies) has led to a paradigm shift in rare species monitoring, and such tools have already been applied for early detection in the context of ballast water surveillance. Rapid improvements in community profiling approaches based on high throughput sequencing (HTS) could similarly impact broader efforts to catalogue biodiversity present in ballast tanks, and could provide novel opportunities to better understand the risks of biotic exchange posed by ballast water transport-and the effectiveness of attempts to mitigate those risks. These various approaches still face considerable challenges to effective implementation, depending on particular management or research needs. Compliance testing, for instance, remains dependent on accurate quantification of viable target organisms; while tools based on RNA detection show promise in this context, the demands of such testing require considerable additional investment in methods development. In general surveillance and research contexts, both targeted and community-based approaches are still limited by various factors: quantification remains a challenge (especially for taxa in larger size classes), gaps in nucleic acids reference databases are still considerable, uncertainties in taxonomic assignment methods persist, and many applications have not yet matured sufficiently to offer standardized methods capable of meeting rigorous quality assurance standards. Nevertheless, the potential value of these tools, their growing utilization in biodiversity monitoring, and the rapid methodological advances over the past decade all suggest that they should be seriously considered for inclusion in the ballast water surveillance toolkit.

Bed Bug Epidemic: A Challenge to Public Health

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratnapradipa, Dhitinut; Ritzel, Dale O.; Haramis, Linn D.; Bliss, Kadi R.

2011-01-01

In recent years, reported cases of bed bug infestations in the U.S. and throughout the world have escalated dramatically, posing a global public health problem. Although bed bugs are not known to transmit disease to humans, they pose both direct and indirect public health challenges in terms of health effects, treatment, cost, and resource…

Supervising Remote Humanoids Across Intermediate Time Delay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hambuchen, Kimberly; Bluethmann, William; Goza, Michael; Ambrose, Robert; Rabe, Kenneth; Allan, Mark

2006-01-01

The President's Vision for Space Exploration, laid out in 2004, relies heavily upon robotic exploration of the lunar surface in early phases of the program. Prior to the arrival of astronauts on the lunar surface, these robots will be required to be controlled across space and time, posing a considerable challenge for traditional telepresence techniques. Because time delays will be measured in seconds, not minutes as is the case for Mars Exploration, uploading the plan for a day seems excessive. An approach for controlling humanoids under intermediate time delay is presented. This approach uses software running within a ground control cockpit to predict an immersed robot supervisor's motions which the remote humanoid autonomously executes. Initial results are presented.

Design strategies of fluorescent probes for selective detection among biothiols.

PubMed

Niu, Li-Ya; Chen, Yu-Zhe; Zheng, Hai-Rong; Wu, Li-Zhu; Tung, Chen-Ho; Yang, Qing-Zheng

2015-10-07

Simple thiol derivatives, such as cysteine (Cys), homocysteine (Hcy), and glutathione (GSH), play key roles in biological processes, and the fluorescent probes to detect such thiols in vivo selectively with high sensitivity and fast response times are critical for understanding their numerous functions. However, the similar structures and reactivities of these thiols pose considerable challenges to the development of such probes. This review focuses on various strategies for the design of fluorescent probes for the selective detection of biothiols. We classify the fluorescent probes for discrimination among biothiols according to reaction types between the probes and thiols such as cyclization with aldehydes, conjugate addition-cyclization with acrylates, native chemical ligation, and aromatic substitution-rearrangement.

Incidental Findings in Neuroimaging: Ethical and Medicolegal Considerations

PubMed Central

Leung, Lawrence

2013-01-01

With the rapid advances in neurosciences in the last three decades, there has been an exponential increase in the use of neuroimaging both in basic sciences and clinical research involving human subjects. During routine neuroimaging, incidental findings that are not part of the protocol or scope of research agenda can occur and they often pose a challenge as to how they should be handled to abide by the medicolegal principles of research ethics. This paper reviews the issue from various ethical (do no harm, general duty to rescue, and mutual benefits and owing) and medicolegal perspectives (legal liability, fiduciary duties, Law of Tort, and Law of Contract) with a suggested protocol of approach. PMID:26317093

Cultural considerations and child maltreatment: in search of universal principles.

PubMed

Kolhatkar, Gauri; Berkowitz, Carol

2014-10-01

Cultural diversity poses challenges within the health care setting, particularly regarding the question of how health professionals can resolve the tension between respecting cultural norms or child-rearing practices and the importance of determining what constitutes harm and child maltreatment. Cultural competency and respect for cultural diversity does not imply universal tolerance of all practices. The United Nations provides a standard of universal child rights, protecting them from harmful practices. Pediatric providers must respect cross-cultural differences while maintaining legal and ethical standards of safety and wellbeing for children, promoting evidence-based prevention of maltreatment, and advocating for child wellness across all cultures. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Incidental Findings in Neuroimaging: Ethical and Medicolegal Considerations.

PubMed

Leung, Lawrence

2013-01-01

With the rapid advances in neurosciences in the last three decades, there has been an exponential increase in the use of neuroimaging both in basic sciences and clinical research involving human subjects. During routine neuroimaging, incidental findings that are not part of the protocol or scope of research agenda can occur and they often pose a challenge as to how they should be handled to abide by the medicolegal principles of research ethics. This paper reviews the issue from various ethical (do no harm, general duty to rescue, and mutual benefits and owing) and medicolegal perspectives (legal liability, fiduciary duties, Law of Tort, and Law of Contract) with a suggested protocol of approach.

The new regulatory state: the social powers of the European Union.

PubMed

Walby, S

1999-03-01

The understanding of the European Union poses a challenge for Sociology and its traditional conceptions of the state. In particular, the impact of the social dimension has been underestimated and undervalued. This paper explores the implications of the developing social dimension of the European Union for European social relations in the context of globalization which allegedly reduces the power of states to act effectively in the social realm. It argues for a broader conceptualization of the social dimension and for a new conception of the regulatory state. It argues that the significance of a politico-legal project social justice. It concludes with a re-consideration of the powers of the state in an era of globalization

Easier said than done: challenges of applying the Ecohealth approach to the study on heavy metals exposure among indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazon.

PubMed

Anticona, Cynthia; Coe, Anna-Britt; Bergdahl, Ingvar A; San Sebastian, Miguel

2013-05-03

The renewed interest in community participation in health research is linked to its potential for bridging gaps between research and practice. Its main attributes are the generation of knowledge that can lead to socially robust, long-lasting solutions and the creation of a co-learner relationship between researchers and research users. Following this philosophy, Ecohealth has evolved into a specialized framework for participatory research on the impact of pollution on ecosystems and human health. However, its principles pose considerable challenges. Its outcomes are strongly influenced by contextual factors that are impossible to control for ahead of time.This paper describes how the Ecohealth principles were applied to an epidemiological study of heavy metals exposure among indigenous communities of the Peruvian Amazon. It illustrates how knowledge generated from participatory research does not necessarily imply solving a public health problem. This study aimed to contribute to the understanding of the benefits and barriers of following the basic principles of the Ecohealth approach, and assist researchers working in similar contexts. Based upon their personal experience as participant observers, the authors describe the research process; then, they discuss the most important challenges faced, their implications, and the attempted strategies for resolution. Challenges were grouped into four themes: (1) building trust; (2) one partnership, many stakeholders, multiple agendas; (3) being a researcher; and (4) communicating complex and unexpected findings. Integrating the principles of transdisciplinarity and participation posed a series of challenges to the research process that were difficult, and sometimes impossible to overcome. However, positive outcomes from this experience were the lessons learned by the different actors. Despite the lack of immediate action, it is expected that useful interventions to prevent and control lead exposure in the Corrientes population will be implemented in the medium term.

Low-residue euthanasia of stranded mysticetes.

PubMed

Harms, Craig A; McLellan, William A; Moore, Michael J; Barco, Susan G; Clarke, Elsburgh O; Thayer, Victoria G; Rowles, Teresa K

2014-01-01

Euthanasia of stranded large whales poses logistic, safety, pharmaceutical, delivery, public relations, and disposal challenges. Reasonable arguments may be made for allowing a stranded whale to expire naturally. However, slow cardiovascular collapse from gravitational effects outside of neutral buoyancy, often combined with severely debilitating conditions, motivate humane efforts to end the animal's suffering. The size of the animal and prevailing environmental conditions often pose safety concerns for stranding personnel, which take priority over other considerations. When considering chemical euthanasia, the size of the animal also necessitates large quantities of euthanasia agents. Drug residues are a concern for relay toxicity to scavengers, particularly for pentobarbital-containing euthanasia solutions. Pentobarbital is also an environmental concern because of its stability and long persistence in aquatic environments. We describe a euthanasia technique for stranded mysticetes using readily available, relatively inexpensive, preanesthetic and anesthetic drugs (midazolam, acepromazine, xylazine) followed by saturated KCl delivered via custom-made needles and a low-cost, basic, pressurized canister. This method provides effective euthanasia while moderating personnel exposure to hazardous situations and minimizing drug residues of concern for relay toxicity.

Lessons about Climate Change Pose Many Challenges for Science Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavanagh, Sean

2007-01-01

This article reports on lessons about climate change which pose many challenges for science teachers. The natural world today offers a broad--and dire--catalog of scientific phenomena for teachers wanting to craft classroom lessons on the topic of climate change. As public concern about global warming increases, teachers are carving out a larger…

Ranking docking poses by graph matching of protein-ligand interactions: lessons learned from the D3R Grand Challenge 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

da Silva Figueiredo Celestino Gomes, Priscila; Da Silva, Franck; Bret, Guillaume; Rognan, Didier

2018-01-01

A novel docking challenge has been set by the Drug Design Data Resource (D3R) in order to predict the pose and affinity ranking of a set of Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) agonists, prior to the public release of their bound X-ray structures and potencies. In a first phase, 36 agonists were docked to 26 Protein Data Bank (PDB) structures of the FXR receptor, and next rescored using the in-house developed GRIM method. GRIM aligns protein-ligand interaction patterns of docked poses to those of available PDB templates for the target protein, and rescore poses by a graph matching method. In agreement with results obtained during the previous 2015 docking challenge, we clearly show that GRIM rescoring improves the overall quality of top-ranked poses by prioritizing interaction patterns already visited in the PDB. Importantly, this challenge enables us to refine the applicability domain of the method by better defining the conditions of its success. We notably show that rescoring apolar ligands in hydrophobic pockets leads to frequent GRIM failures. In the second phase, 102 FXR agonists were ranked by decreasing affinity according to the Gibbs free energy of the corresponding GRIM-selected poses, computed by the HYDE scoring function. Interestingly, this fast and simple rescoring scheme provided the third most accurate ranking method among 57 contributions. Although the obtained ranking is still unsuitable for hit to lead optimization, the GRIM-HYDE scoring scheme is accurate and fast enough to post-process virtual screening data.

Control and System Theory, Optimization, Inverse and Ill-Posed Problems

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-09-14

Justlfleatlen Distribut ion/ Availability Codes # AFOSR-87-0350 Avat’ and/or1987-1988 Dist Special *CONTROL AND SYSTEM THEORY , ~ * OPTIMIZATION, * INVERSE...considerable va- riety of research investigations within the grant areas (Control and system theory , Optimization, and Ill-posed problems]. The

Optimizing care for the obese patient in interventional radiology

PubMed Central

Aberle, Dwight; Charles, Hearns; Hodak, Steven; O’Neill, Daniel; Oklu, Rahmi; Deipolyi, Amy R.

2017-01-01

With the rising epidemic of obesity, interventional radiologists are treating increasing numbers of obese patients, as comorbidities associated with obesity preclude more invasive treatments. These patients are at heightened risk of vascular and oncologic disease, both of which often require interventional radiology care. Obese patients pose unique challenges in imaging, technical feasibility, and periprocedural monitoring. This review describes the technical and clinical challenges posed by this population, with proposed methods to mitigate these challenges and optimize care. PMID:28082253

Donations After Circulatory Death in Liver Transplant

PubMed Central

Eren, Emre A.; Latchana, Nicholas; Beal, Eliza; Hayes, Don; Whitson, Bryan; Black, Sylvester M.

2017-01-01

The supply of liver grafts for treatment of end-stage liver disease continues to fall short of ongoing demands. Currently, most liver transplants originate from donations after brain death. Enhanced utilization of the present resources is prudent to address the needs of the population. Donation after circulatory or cardiac death is a mechanism whereby the availability of organs can be expanded. Donations after circulatory death pose unique challenges given their exposure to warm ischemia. Technical principles of donations after circulatory death procurement and pertinent studies investigating patient outcomes, graft outcomes, and complications are highlighted in this review. We also review associated risk factors to suggest potential avenues to achieve improved outcomes and reduced complications. Future considerations and alternative techniques of organ preservation are discussed, which may suggest novel strategies to enhance preservation and donor expansion through the use of marginal donors. Ultimately, without effective measures to bolster organ supply, donations after circulatory death should remain a consideration; however, an understanding of inherent risks and limitations is necessary. PMID:27733105

Donations After Circulatory Death in Liver Transplant.

PubMed

Eren, Emre A; Latchana, Nicholas; Beal, Eliza; Hayes, Don; Whitson, Bryan; Black, Sylvester M

2016-10-01

The supply of liver grafts for treatment of end-stage liver disease continues to fall short of ongoing demands. Currently, most liver transplants originate from donations after brain death. Enhanced utilization of the present resources is prudent to address the needs of the population. Donation after circulatory or cardiac death is a mechanism whereby the availability of organs can be expanded. Donations after circulatory death pose unique challenges given their exposure to warm ischemia. Technical principles of donations after circulatory death procurement and pertinent studies investigating patient outcomes, graft outcomes, and complications are highlighted in this review. We also review associated risk factors to suggest potential avenues to achieve improved outcomes and reduced complications. Future considerations and alternative techniques of organ preservation are discussed, which may suggest novel strategies to enhance preservation and donor expansion through the use of marginal donors. Ultimately, without effective measures to bolster organ supply, donations after circulatory death should remain a consideration; however, an understanding of inherent risks and limitations is necessary.

A Case for Revisiting the Safety of Pesticides: A Closer Look at Neurodevelopment

PubMed Central

Colborn, Theo

2006-01-01

The quality and quantity of the data about the risk posed to humans by individual pesticides vary considerably. Unlike obvious birth defects, most developmental effects cannot be seen at birth or even later in life. Instead, brain and nervous system disturbances are expressed in terms of how an individual behaves and functions, which can vary considerably from birth through adulthood. In this article I challenge the protective value of current pesticide risk assessment strategies in light of the vast numbers of pesticides on the market and the vast number of possible target tissues and end points that often differ depending upon timing of exposure. Using the insecticide chlorpyrifos as a model, I reinforce the need for a new approach to determine the safety of all pesticide classes. Because of the uncertainty that will continue to exist about the safety of pesticides, it is apparent that a new regulatory approach to protect human health is needed. PMID:16393651

Experiencing patient death in clinical practice: nurses' recollections of their earliest memorable patient death.

PubMed

Anderson, Natalie Elizabeth; Kent, Bridie; Owens, R Glynn

2015-03-01

Death and dying are inevitable life encounters, but a nurse's first experience with patient death may pose considerable cognitive, emotional and clinical challenges. This paper reports the findings of the second phase of a study; the first has been reported elsewhere. This phase explored the earliest memorable patient death experiences of New Zealand registered nurses. A purposeful, self-selected sub-sample of a larger study of New Zealand registered nurses, took part in individual face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was utilised to seek to understand participants' experiences. Thematic analysis was undertaken to identify emerging themes, with participants' own words used as theme headings, where their phrases provided succinct or powerful descriptors. A diverse participant group of twenty, currently practising, New Zealand registered nurses provided rich and detailed descriptions of their earliest memorable experience with patient death. Participants from a variety of training backgrounds described patient deaths, which occurred in a range of settings - some only a few months prior, others - more than thirty years ago. Seven emergent themes, and features of more positive, or negative experiences were identified: Event Significance; Emotional Challenges; Sharing the Experience; Learning; Feeling Unprepared, Responses to Death and Finding Benefits. For participants in this study, there was considerable evidence that their earliest memorable patient death was a significant event. Furthermore, although most participants' experiences were characterised by emphatic or poignant description, there was most often a balance of challenges and rewards. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ethics for pandemics beyond influenza: Ebola, drug-resistant tuberculosis, and anticipating future ethical challenges in pandemic preparedness and response.

PubMed

Smith, Maxwell J; Silva, Diego S

2015-01-01

The unprecedented outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa has raised several novel ethical issues for global outbreak preparedness. It has also illustrated that familiar ethical issues in infectious disease management endure despite considerable efforts to understand and mitigate such issues in the wake of past outbreaks. To improve future global outbreak preparedness and response, we must examine these shortcomings and reflect upon the current state of ethical preparedness. To this end, we focus our efforts in this article on the examination of one substantial area: ethical guidance in pandemic plans. We argue that, due in part to their focus on considerations arising specifically in relation to pandemics of influenza origin, pandemic plans and their existing ethical guidance are ill-equipped to anticipate and facilitate the navigation of unique ethical challenges that may arise in other infectious disease pandemics. We proceed by outlining three reasons why this is so, and situate our analysis in the context of the EVD outbreak and the threat posed by drug-resistant tuberculosis: (1) different infectious diseases have distinct characteristics that challenge anticipated or existing modes of pandemic prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery, (2) clear, transparent, context-specific ethical reasoning and justification within current influenza pandemic plans are lacking, and (3) current plans neglect the context of how other significant pandemics may manifest. We conclude the article with several options for reflecting upon and ultimately addressing ethical issues that may emerge with different infectious disease pandemics.

Addressing challenges of heterogeneous tumor treatment through bispecific protein-mediated pretargeted drug delivery.

PubMed

Yang, Qi; Parker, Christina L; McCallen, Justin D; Lai, Samuel K

2015-12-28

Tumors are frequently characterized by genomically and phenotypically distinct cancer cell subpopulations within the same tumor or between tumor lesions, a phenomenon termed tumor heterogeneity. These diverse cancer cell populations pose a major challenge to targeted delivery of diagnostic and/or therapeutic agents, as the conventional approach of conjugating individual ligands to nanoparticles is often unable to facilitate intracellular delivery to the full spectrum of cancer cells present in a given tumor lesion or patient. As a result, many cancers are only partially suppressed, leading to eventual tumor regrowth and/or the development of drug-resistant tumors. Pretargeting (multistep targeting) approaches involving the administration of 1) a cocktail of bispecific proteins that can collectively bind to the entirety of a mixed tumor population followed by 2) nanoparticles containing therapeutic and/or diagnostic agents that can bind to the bispecific proteins accumulated on the surface of target cells offer the potential to overcome many of the challenges associated with drug delivery to heterogeneous tumors. Despite its considerable success in improving the efficacy of radioimmunotherapy, the pretargeting strategy remains underexplored for a majority of nanoparticle therapeutic applications, especially for targeted delivery to heterogeneous tumors. In this review, we will present concepts in tumor heterogeneity, the shortcomings of conventional targeted systems, lessons learned from pretargeted radioimmunotherapy, and important considerations for harnessing the pretargeting strategy to improve nanoparticle delivery to heterogeneous tumors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

NASA Space Rocket Logistics Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neeley, James R.; Jones, James V.; Watson, Michael D.; Bramon, Christopher J.; Inman, Sharon K.; Tuttle, Loraine

2014-01-01

The Space Launch System (SLS) is the new NASA heavy lift launch vehicle and is scheduled for its first mission in 2017. The goal of the first mission, which will be uncrewed, is to demonstrate the integrated system performance of the SLS rocket and spacecraft before a crewed flight in 2021. SLS has many of the same logistics challenges as any other large scale program. Common logistics concerns for SLS include integration of discreet programs geographically separated, multiple prime contractors with distinct and different goals, schedule pressures and funding constraints. However, SLS also faces unique challenges. The new program is a confluence of new hardware and heritage, with heritage hardware constituting seventy-five percent of the program. This unique approach to design makes logistics concerns such as commonality especially problematic. Additionally, a very low manifest rate of one flight every four years makes logistics comparatively expensive. That, along with the SLS architecture being developed using a block upgrade evolutionary approach, exacerbates long-range planning for supportability considerations. These common and unique logistics challenges must be clearly identified and tackled to allow SLS to have a successful program. This paper will address the common and unique challenges facing the SLS programs, along with the analysis and decisions the NASA Logistics engineers are making to mitigate the threats posed by each.

D3R grand challenge 2015: Evaluation of protein-ligand pose and affinity predictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gathiaka, Symon; Liu, Shuai; Chiu, Michael; Yang, Huanwang; Stuckey, Jeanne A.; Kang, You Na; Delproposto, Jim; Kubish, Ginger; Dunbar, James B.; Carlson, Heather A.; Burley, Stephen K.; Walters, W. Patrick; Amaro, Rommie E.; Feher, Victoria A.; Gilson, Michael K.

2016-09-01

The Drug Design Data Resource (D3R) ran Grand Challenge 2015 between September 2015 and February 2016. Two targets served as the framework to test community docking and scoring methods: (1) HSP90, donated by AbbVie and the Community Structure Activity Resource (CSAR), and (2) MAP4K4, donated by Genentech. The challenges for both target datasets were conducted in two stages, with the first stage testing pose predictions and the capacity to rank compounds by affinity with minimal structural data; and the second stage testing methods for ranking compounds with knowledge of at least a subset of the ligand-protein poses. An additional sub-challenge provided small groups of chemically similar HSP90 compounds amenable to alchemical calculations of relative binding free energy. Unlike previous blinded Challenges, we did not provide cognate receptors or receptors prepared with hydrogens and likewise did not require a specified crystal structure to be used for pose or affinity prediction in Stage 1. Given the freedom to select from over 200 crystal structures of HSP90 in the PDB, participants employed workflows that tested not only core docking and scoring technologies, but also methods for addressing water-mediated ligand-protein interactions, binding pocket flexibility, and the optimal selection of protein structures for use in docking calculations. Nearly 40 participating groups submitted over 350 prediction sets for Grand Challenge 2015. This overview describes the datasets and the organization of the challenge components, summarizes the results across all submitted predictions, and considers broad conclusions that may be drawn from this collaborative community endeavor.

D3R Grand Challenge 2015: Evaluation of Protein-Ligand Pose and Affinity Predictions

PubMed Central

Gathiaka, Symon; Liu, Shuai; Chiu, Michael; Yang, Huanwang; Stuckey, Jeanne A; Kang, You Na; Delproposto, Jim; Kubish, Ginger; Dunbar, James B.; Carlson, Heather A.; Burley, Stephen K.; Walters, W. Patrick; Amaro, Rommie E.; Feher, Victoria A.; Gilson, Michael K.

2017-01-01

The Drug Design Data Resource (D3R) ran Grand Challenge 2015 between September 2015 and February 2016. Two targets served as the framework to test community docking and scoring methods: (i) HSP90, donated by AbbVie and the Community Structure Activity Resource (CSAR), and (ii) MAP4K4, donated by Genentech. The challenges for both target datasets were conducted in two stages, with the first stage testing pose predictions and the capacity to rank compounds by affinity with minimal structural data; and the second stage testing methods for ranking compounds with knowledge of at least a subset of the ligand-protein poses. An additional sub-challenge provided small groups of chemically similar HSP90 compounds amenable to alchemical calculations of relative binding free energy. Unlike previous blinded Challenges, we did not provide cognate receptors or receptors prepared with hydrogens and likewise did not require a specified crystal structure to be used for pose or affinity prediction in Stage 1. Given the freedom to select from over 200 crystal structures of HSP90 in the PDB, participants employed workflows that tested not only core docking and scoring technologies, but also methods for addressing water-mediated ligand-protein interactions, binding pocket flexibility, and the optimal selection of protein structures for use in docking calculations. Nearly 40 participating groups submitted over 350 prediction sets for Grand Challenge 2015. This overview describes the datasets and the organization of the challenge components, summarizes the results across all submitted predictions, and considers broad conclusions that may be drawn from this collaborative community endeavor. PMID:27696240

Pose-Invariant Face Recognition via RGB-D Images.

PubMed

Sang, Gaoli; Li, Jing; Zhao, Qijun

2016-01-01

Three-dimensional (3D) face models can intrinsically handle large pose face recognition problem. In this paper, we propose a novel pose-invariant face recognition method via RGB-D images. By employing depth, our method is able to handle self-occlusion and deformation, both of which are challenging problems in two-dimensional (2D) face recognition. Texture images in the gallery can be rendered to the same view as the probe via depth. Meanwhile, depth is also used for similarity measure via frontalization and symmetric filling. Finally, both texture and depth contribute to the final identity estimation. Experiments on Bosphorus, CurtinFaces, Eurecom, and Kiwi databases demonstrate that the additional depth information has improved the performance of face recognition with large pose variations and under even more challenging conditions.

Vision Based SLAM in Dynamic Scenes

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-20

the correct relative poses between cameras at frame F. For this purpose, we detect and match SURF features between cameras in dilierent groups, and...all cameras in s uch a challenging case. For a compa rison, we disabled the ’ inte r-camera pose estimation’ and applied the ’ intra-camera pose esti

Biosensor technology: technology push versus market pull.

PubMed

Luong, John H T; Male, Keith B; Glennon, Jeremy D

2008-01-01

Biosensor technology is based on a specific biological recognition element in combination with a transducer for signal processing. Since its inception, biosensors have been expected to play a significant analytical role in medicine, agriculture, food safety, homeland security, environmental and industrial monitoring. However, the commercialization of biosensor technology has significantly lagged behind the research output as reflected by a plethora of publications and patenting activities. The rationale behind the slow and limited technology transfer could be attributed to cost considerations and some key technical barriers. Analytical chemistry has changed considerably, driven by automation, miniaturization, and system integration with high throughput for multiple tasks. Such requirements pose a great challenge in biosensor technology which is often designed to detect one single or a few target analytes. Successful biosensors must be versatile to support interchangeable biorecognition elements, and in addition miniaturization must be feasible to allow automation for parallel sensing with ease of operation at a competitive cost. A significant upfront investment in research and development is a prerequisite in the commercialization of biosensors. The progress in such endeavors is incremental with limited success, thus, the market entry for a new venture is very difficult unless a niche product can be developed with a considerable market volume.

Towards Supervising Remote Dexterous Robots Across Time Delay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hambuchen, Kimberly; Bluethmann, William; Goza, Michael; Ambrose, Robert; Wheeler, Kevin; Rabe, Ken

2006-01-01

The President s Vision for Space Exploration, laid out in 2004, relies heavily upon robotic exploration of the lunar surface in early phases of the program. Prior to the arrival of astronauts on the lunar surface, these robots will be required to be controlled across space and time, posing a considerable challenge for traditional telepresence techniques. Because time delays will be measured in seconds, not minutes as is the case for Mars Exploration, uploading the plan for a day seems excessive. An approach for controlling dexterous robots under intermediate time delay is presented, in which software running within a ground control cockpit predicts the intention of an immersed robot supervisor, then the remote robot autonomously executes the supervisor s intended tasks. Initial results are presented.

Hemorrhage and culture: management in the developing world and cultural implications for nursing care.

PubMed

Penney, D S

1991-01-01

In the industrialized world, technological resources and skilled personnel characterize the response to a hemorrhagic crisis. Such an efficient use of supplied technology stands in stark contrast to the responses toward a similar crisis when encountered in a developing country. In fact, attempting to manage a hemorrhage in a developing country may pose entanglements with economic, political, cultural, environmental, and medical obstacles. The uniqueness of this task and its challenges to the health professional are presented to provide nurses in advanced societies with a basic understanding of principles involved in managing hemorrhage in less-than-ideal circumstances. In addition, cultural care considerations are briefly described as they relate to the nursing role in the developing world.

Perspectives on clinical trial data transparency and disclosure.

PubMed

Alemayehu, Demissie; Anziano, Richard J; Levenstein, Marcia

2014-09-01

The increased demand for transparency and disclosure of data from clinical trials sponsored by pharmaceutical companies poses considerable challenges and opportunities from a statistical perspective. A central issue is the need to protect patient privacy and adhere to Good Clinical and Statistical Practices, while ensuring access to patient-level data from clinical trials to the wider research community. This paper offers options to navigate this dilemma and balance competing priorities, with emphasis on the role of good clinical and statistical practices as proven safeguards for scientific integrity, the importance of adopting best practices for reporting of data from secondary analyses, and the need for optimal collaboration among stakeholders to facilitate data sharing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using zebrafish in systems toxicology for developmental toxicity testing.

PubMed

Nishimura, Yuhei; Inoue, Atsuto; Sasagawa, Shota; Koiwa, Junko; Kawaguchi, Koki; Kawase, Reiko; Maruyama, Toru; Kim, Soonih; Tanaka, Toshio

2016-01-01

With the high cost and the long-term assessment of developmental toxicity testing in mammals, the vertebrate zebrafish has become a useful alternative model organism for high-throughput developmental toxicity testing. Zebrafish is also very favorable for the 3R perspective in toxicology; however, the methodologies used by research groups vary greatly, posing considerable challenges to integrative analysis. In this review, we discuss zebrafish developmental toxicity testing, focusing on the methods of chemical exposure, the assessment of morphological abnormalities, housing conditions and their effects on the production of healthy embryos, and future directions. Zebrafish as a systems toxicology model has the potential to elucidate developmental toxicity pathways, and to provide a sound basis for human health risk assessments. © 2015 Japanese Teratology Society.

Regulating genetic privacy in the online health information era.

PubMed

Magnusson, Roger S

As the clinical implications of the genetic components of disease come to be better understood, there is likely to be a significant increase in the volume of genetic information held within clinical records. As patient health care records, in turn, come on-line as part of broader health information networks, there is likely to be considerable pressure in favour of special laws protecting genetic privacy. This paper reviews some of the privacy challenges posed by electronic health records, some government initiatives in this area, and notes the impact that developments in genetic testing will have upon the 'genetic content' of e-health records. Despite the sensitivity of genetic information, the paper argues against a policy of 'genetic exceptionalism', and its implications for genetic privacy laws.

Asynchronous sampled-data approach for event-triggered systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mahmoud, Magdi S.; Memon, Azhar M.

2017-11-01

While aperiodically triggered network control systems save a considerable amount of communication bandwidth, they also pose challenges such as coupling between control and event-condition design, optimisation of the available resources such as control, communication and computation power, and time-delays due to computation and communication network. With this motivation, the paper presents separate designs of control and event-triggering mechanism, thus simplifying the overall analysis, asynchronous linear quadratic Gaussian controller which tackles delays and aperiodic nature of transmissions, and a novel event mechanism which compares the cost of the aperiodic system against a reference periodic implementation. The proposed scheme is simulated on a linearised wind turbine model for pitch angle control and the results show significant improvement against the periodic counterpart.

The Disposal of Spacecraft and Launch Vehicle Stages in Low Earth Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Nicholas L.

2007-01-01

Spacecraft and launch vehicle stages abandoned in Earth orbit have historically been a primary source of debris from accidental explosions. In the future, such satellites will become the principal cause of orbital debris via inadvertent collisions. To curtail both the near-term and far-term risks posed by derelict spacecraft and launch vehicle stages to operational space systems, numerous national and international orbital debris mitigation guidelines specifically recommend actions which could prevent or limit such future debris generation. Although considerable progress has been made in implementing these recommendations, some changes to existing vehicle designs can be difficult. Moreover, the nature of some missions also can present technological and budgetary challenges to be compliant with widely accepted orbital debris mitigation measures.

Ethical dilemma of recovering organs before donor death.

PubMed

Khalid, Umair; Khalil, Sarwat

2011-08-01

Organ transplant has had a momentous effect in improving global health over the years. However, there exists a sizeable discrepancy between the supply and demand of organs, especially in developing countries, where lack of expertise, financial constraints, and inadequate transplant facilities have been obstacles. According to current practice, donors must be dead before unpaired vital organs can be recovered. Equal health warrants needs-based health care for everyone. Recovering viable organs from donors while they are alive, but with death inevitable, may be significant to persons on waiting lists. Future policies in organ transplantation must be made after thorough consideration of all aspects of donation and dealing with the inequalities of health care. These pose a challenge for medicolegal and ethical organizations.

Design and methodology of a mixed methods follow-up study to the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey.

PubMed

Staveteig, Sarah; Aryeetey, Richmond; Anie-Ansah, Michael; Ahiadeke, Clement; Ortiz, Ladys

2017-01-01

The intended meaning behind responses to standard questions posed in large-scale health surveys are not always well understood. Systematic follow-up studies, particularly those which pose a few repeated questions followed by open-ended discussions, are well positioned to gauge stability and consistency of data and to shed light on the intended meaning behind survey responses. Such follow-up studies require extensive coordination and face challenges in protecting respondent confidentiality during the process of recontacting and reinterviewing participants. We describe practical field strategies for undertaking a mixed methods follow-up study during a large-scale health survey. The study was designed as a mixed methods follow-up study embedded within the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS). The study was implemented in 13 clusters. Android tablets were used to import reference data from the parent survey and to administer the questionnaire, which asked a mixture of closed- and open-ended questions on reproductive intentions, decision-making, and family planning. Despite a number of obstacles related to recontacting respondents and concern about respondent fatigue, over 92 percent of the selected sub-sample were successfully recontacted and reinterviewed; all consented to audio recording. A confidential linkage between GDHS data, follow-up tablet data, and audio transcripts was successfully created for the purpose of analysis. We summarize the challenges in follow-up study design, including ethical considerations, sample size, auditing, filtering, successful use of tablets, and share lessons learned for future such follow-up surveys.

New Platforms for Characterization of Biological Material Failure and Resilience Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Katherine; Butler, Benjamin J.; Nguyen, Thuy-Tien N.; Sorry, David; Williams, Alun; Proud, William G.

2017-06-01

Obtaining information about the material responses of viscoelastic soft matter, such as polymers and foams has, required adaptation of techniques traditionally used with hard condensed matter. More recently it has been recognized that understanding the strain-rate behavior of natural and synthetic soft biological materials poses even greater challenges for materials research due their heterogeneous composition and structural complexity. Expanding fundamental knowledge about how these classes of biomaterials function under different loading regimes is of considerable interest in both fundamental and applied research. A comparative overview of methods, developed in our laboratory or elsewhere, for determining material responses of cells and soft tissues over a wide range of strain rates (quasi-static to blast loading) will be presented. Examples will illustrate how data are obtained for studying material responses of cells and tissues. Strengths and weaknesses of current approaches will be discussed, with particular emphasis on challenges associated with the development of realistic experimental and computational models for trauma and other disease indications.

Development and preliminary testing of a web-based, self-help application for disaster-affected families

PubMed Central

Yuen, Erica K; Gros, Kirstin; Welsh, Kyleen E; McCauley, Jenna; Resnick, Heidi S; Danielson, Carla K; Price, Matthew; Ruggiero, Kenneth J

2015-01-01

Technology-based self-help interventions have the potential to increase access to evidence-based mental healthcare, especially for families affected by natural disasters. However, development of these interventions is a complex process and poses unique challenges. Usability testing, which assesses the ability of individuals to use an application successfully, can have a significant impact on the quality of a self-help intervention. This article describes (a) the development of a novel web-based multi-module self-help intervention for disaster-affected adolescents and their parents and (b) a mixed-methods formal usability study to evaluate user response. A total of 24 adolescents were observed, videotaped, and interviewed as they used the depressed mood component of the self-help intervention. Quantitative results indicated an above-average user experience, and qualitative analysis identified 120 unique usability issues. We discuss the challenges of developing self-help applications, including design considerations and the value of usability testing in technology-based interventions, as well as our plan for widespread dissemination. PMID:25933798

Safeguards Considerations for Thorium Fuel Cycles

DOE PAGES

Worrall, Louise G.; Worrall, Andrew; Flanagan, George F.; ...

2016-04-21

We report that by around 2025, thorium-based fuel cycles are likely to be deployed internationally. States such as China and India are pursuing research, development, and deployment pathways toward a number of commercial-scale thorium fuel cycles, and they are already building test reactors and the associated fuel cycle infrastructure. In the future, the potential exists for these emerging programs to sell, export, and deploy thorium fuel cycle technology in other states. Without technically adequate international safeguards protocols and measures in place, any future potential clandestine misuse of these fuel cycles could go undetected, compromising the deterrent value of these protocolsmore » and measures. The development of safeguards approaches for thorium-based fuel cycles is therefore a matter of some urgency. Yet, the focus of the international safeguards community remains mainly on safeguarding conventional 235U- and 239Pu-based fuel cycles while the safeguards challenges of thorium-uranium fuel cycles remain largely uninvestigated. This raises the following question: Is the International Atomic Energy Agency and international safeguards system ready for thorium fuel cycles? Furthermore, is the safeguards technology of today sufficiently mature to meet the verification challenges posed by thorium-based fuel cycles? In defining these and other related research questions, the objectives of this paper are to identify key safeguards considerations for thorium-based fuel cycles and to call for an early dialogue between the international safeguards and the nuclear fuel cycle communities to prepare for the potential safeguards challenges associated with these fuel cycles. In this paper, it is concluded that directed research and development programs are required to meet the identified safeguards challenges and to take timely action in preparation for the international deployment of thorium fuel cycles.« less

Teachers Implementing Mathematical Problem Posing in the Classroom: Challenges and Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leung, Shuk-kwan S.

2013-01-01

This paper reports a study about how a teacher educator shared knowledge with teachers when they worked together to implement mathematical problem posing (MPP) in the classroom. It includes feasible methods for getting practitioners to use research-based tasks aligned to the curriculum in order to encourage children to pose mathematical problems.…

DOCKSCORE: a webserver for ranking protein-protein docked poses.

PubMed

Malhotra, Sony; Mathew, Oommen K; Sowdhamini, Ramanathan

2015-04-24

Proteins interact with a variety of other molecules such as nucleic acids, small molecules and other proteins inside the cell. Structure-determination of protein-protein complexes is challenging due to several reasons such as the large molecular weights of these macromolecular complexes, their dynamic nature, difficulty in purification and sample preparation. Computational docking permits an early understanding of the feasibility and mode of protein-protein interactions. However, docking algorithms propose a number of solutions and it is a challenging task to select the native or near native pose(s) from this pool. DockScore is an objective scoring scheme that can be used to rank protein-protein docked poses. It considers several interface parameters, namely, surface area, evolutionary conservation, hydrophobicity, short contacts and spatial clustering at the interface for scoring. We have implemented DockScore in form of a webserver for its use by the scientific community. DockScore webserver can be employed, subsequent to docking, to perform scoring of the docked solutions, starting from multiple poses as inputs. The results, on scores and ranks for all the poses, can be downloaded as a csv file and graphical view of the interface of best ranking poses is possible. The webserver for DockScore is made freely available for the scientific community at: http://caps.ncbs.res.in/dockscore/ .

Tracking Climate Change through the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of the Teletherms, the Statistically Hottest and Coldest Days of the Year

DOE PAGES

Dodds, Peter Sheridan; Mitchell, Lewis; Reagan, Andrew J.; ...

2016-05-11

Instabilities and long term shifts in seasons, whether induced by natural drivers or human activities, pose great disruptive threats to ecological, agricultural, and social systems. Here, we propose, measure, and explore two fundamental markers of location-sensitive seasonal variations: the Summer and Winter Teletherms—the on-average annual dates of the hottest and coldest days of the year. We analyze daily temperature extremes recorded at 1218 stations across the contiguous United States from 1853–2012, and observe large regional variation with the Summer Teletherm falling up to 90 days after the Summer Solstice, and 50 days for the Winter Teletherm after the Winter Solstice.more » We show that Teletherm temporal dynamics are substantive with clear and in some cases dramatic shifts reflective of system bifurcations. We also compare recorded daily temperature extremes with output from two regional climate models finding considerable though relatively unbiased error. In conclusion, our work demonstrates that Teletherms are an intuitive, powerful, and statistically sound measure of local climate change, and that they pose detailed, stringent challenges for future theoretical and computational models.« less

Stable image acquisition for mobile image processing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henning, Kai-Fabian; Fritze, Alexander; Gillich, Eugen; Mönks, Uwe; Lohweg, Volker

2015-02-01

Today, mobile devices (smartphones, tablets, etc.) are widespread and of high importance for their users. Their performance as well as versatility increases over time. This leads to the opportunity to use such devices for more specific tasks like image processing in an industrial context. For the analysis of images requirements like image quality (blur, illumination, etc.) as well as a defined relative position of the object to be inspected are crucial. Since mobile devices are handheld and used in constantly changing environments the challenge is to fulfill these requirements. We present an approach to overcome the obstacles and stabilize the image capturing process such that image analysis becomes significantly improved on mobile devices. Therefore, image processing methods are combined with sensor fusion concepts. The approach consists of three main parts. First, pose estimation methods are used to guide a user moving the device to a defined position. Second, the sensors data and the pose information are combined for relative motion estimation. Finally, the image capturing process is automated. It is triggered depending on the alignment of the device and the object as well as the image quality that can be achieved under consideration of motion and environmental effects.

The effect of control and display lag on unmanned air system internal pilot manual landing performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lloyd, Marshall Everett

An important characteristic of UASs is lag because it can become a considerable challenge to successful human-in-the-loop control. As such, UASs are designed and configured to minimize system lag, though this can increase acquisition and operation costs considerably. In an effort to cut costs, an organization may choose to accept greater risk and deploy a UAS with high system lag. Before this risk can be responsibly accepted, it must be quantified. While many studies have examined system lag, very few have been able to quantify the risk that various levels of lag pose to an internally piloted, manually landed UAS. This study attempted to do so by evaluating pilot landing performance in a simulator with 0 ms, 240 ms, and 1000 ms of additional lag. Various measures were used, including a novel coding technique. Results indicated that 1000 ms of lag was unsafe by all measures. They also indicate that 240 ms of lag degrades performance, but participants were able to successfully land the simulated aircraft. This study showed the utility of using several measures to evaluate the effect of lag on landing performance and it helped demonstrate that while 1000 ms poses a high risk, 240 ms of lag may be a much more manageable risk. Future research suggested by this research includes: investigating lag between 240 ms and 1000 ms, introducing different weather phenomena, developing system lag training techniques for operators, and investigating the effect of aides such as predictive displays and autopilot-assisted recovery.

Current Challenges in Neurotoxicity Risk Assessment ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Neurotoxicity risk assessment must continue to evolve in parallel with advances in basic research. Along with this evolution is an expansion in the scope of neurotoxicity assessments of environmental health risks. Examples of this expansion include an increasing emphasis on complex animal models that better replicate human behavior and a wider array of molecular and mechanistic data relevant to interpreting the underlying cause(s) of toxicity. However, modern neurotoxicology studies are often more nuanced and complicated than traditional studies, and they often vary considerably in evaluation methods from one study to the next, impeding comparisons. This can pose particular difficulties for risk assessors, especially given the recent demand for chemical risk assessments to be more systematic and transparent. This presentation will introduce and provide some examples of specific challenges in neurotoxicity assessments of environmental chemicals. Some of these challenges are relatively new to the field, such as the incorporation of data on neuron-supportive glial cells into hazard characterization, while other challenges have persisted for several decades, but only recently are studies being designed to evaluate them, including analyses of latent neurotoxicity. The examples provided illustrate some future research areas of interest for scientists and risk assessors examining human neurotoxicity risk. This abstract will be presented to internal U.S. Food and Drug A

Practical Considerations and Challenges Involved in Surfactant Enhanced Bioremediation of Oil

PubMed Central

Mohanty, Sagarika; Jasmine, Jublee

2013-01-01

Surfactant enhanced bioremediation (SEB) of oil is an approach adopted to overcome the bioavailability constraints encountered in biotransformation of nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL) pollutants. Fuel oils contain n-alkanes and other aliphatic hydrocarbons, monoaromatics, and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Although hydrocarbon degrading cultures are abundant in nature, complete biodegradation of oil is rarely achieved even under favorable environmental conditions due to the structural complexity of oil and culture specificities. Moreover, the interaction among cultures in a consortium, substrate interaction effects during the degradation and ability of specific cultures to alter the bioavailability of oil invariably affect the process. Although SEB has the potential to increase the degradation rate of oil and its constituents, there are numerous challenges in the successful application of this technology. Success is dependent on the choice of appropriate surfactant type and dose since the surfactant-hydrocarbon-microorganism interaction may be unique to each scenario. Surfactants not only enhance the uptake of constituents through micellar solubilization and emulsification but can also alter microbial cell surface characteristics. Moreover, hydrocarbons partitioned in micelles may not be readily bioavailable depending on the microorganism-surfactant interactions. Surfactant toxicity and inherent biodegradability of surfactants may pose additional challenges as discussed in this review. PMID:24350261

Feeding nine billion: the challenge to sustainable crop production.

PubMed

Gregory, Peter J; George, Timothy S

2011-11-01

In the recent past there was a widespread working assumption in many countries that problems of food production had been solved, and that food security was largely a matter of distribution and access to be achieved principally by open markets. The events of 2008 challenged these assumptions, and made public a much wider debate about the costs of current food production practices to the environment and whether these could be sustained. As in the past 50 years, it is anticipated that future increases in crop production will be achieved largely by increasing yields per unit area rather than by increasing the area of cropped land. However, as yields have increased, so the ratio of photosynthetic energy captured to energy expended in crop production has decreased. This poses a considerable challenge: how to increase yield while simultaneously reducing energy consumption (allied to greenhouse gas emissions) and utilizing resources such as water and phosphate more efficiently. Given the timeframe in which the increased production has to be realized, most of the increase will need to come from crop genotypes that are being bred now, together with known agronomic and management practices that are currently under-developed.

Are “extreme consumption games” drinking games? Sometimes it's a matter of perspective

PubMed Central

Zamboanga, Byron L.; Pearce, Marc W.; Kenney, Shannon R.; Ham, Lindsay S.; Woods, Olivia E.; Borsari, Brian

2013-01-01

Drinking games are widespread on college campuses and pose health risks to their players. Although there has been considerable research progress in the college drinking games literature, there does not appear to be a standard definition of the term “drinking games.” Researchers, however, have attempted to classify and categorize drinking games in a systematic manner. For example, one category of drinking games (e.g., chugging, keg stands) is often referred to as consumption or extreme consumption games. Questions remain as to whether or how these types of games align with researchers' definitions of drinking games or the categorization systems advanced by researchers in the field. Potential challenges regarding the definition and categorization of drinking games, particularly with respect to extreme consumption types of games, are discussed. PMID:23968169

Diagnostic pitfalls in newborns and babies with blisters and erosions.

PubMed

Nischler, Elke; Klausegger, Alfred; Hüttner, Clemens; Pohla-Gubo, Gabriele; Diem, Anja; Bauer, Johann W; Hintner, Helmut

2009-01-01

Establishing the correct diagnosis in newborns presenting with blisters and erosions is not always a straightforward process. Many different disease entities including acquired (i.e., infectious, immunobullous, traumatic) and inherited disorders have to be taken into consideration. Similarities in clinical appearance, colonization and/or superinfections of preexisting skin lesions, as well as the absence of late changes in the neonate often pose significant diagnostic challenges. In this paper we discuss by giving examples the process of making an accurate diagnosis of blistering skin diseases in the neonatal period on the basis of a diagnostic algorithm. In addition, we provide an overview of the rational use and the limitations of laboratory procedures such as microbial testing, routine light microscopy, immunofluorescence antigen mapping, transmission electron microscopy, and molecular genetic analysis.

Reproductive Impacts of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals on Wildlife Species: Implications for Conservation of Endangered Species.

PubMed

Tubbs, Christopher W; McDonough, Caitlin E

2018-02-15

Wildlife have proven valuable to our understanding of the potential effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) on human health by contributing considerably to our understanding of the mechanisms and consequences of EDC exposure. But the threats EDCs present to populations of wildlife species themselves are significant, particularly for endangered species whose existence is vulnerable to any reproductive perturbation. However, few studies address the threats EDCs pose to endangered species owing to challenges associated with their study. Here, we highlight those barriers and review the available literature concerning EDC effects on endangered species. Drawing from other investigations into nonthreatened wildlife species, we highlight opportunities for new approaches to advance our understanding and potentially mitigate the effects of EDCs on endangered species to enhance their fertility.

SSL Pricing and Efficacy Trend Analysis for Utility Program Planning

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

Tuenge, Jason R.

2013-10-01

An LED lamp or luminaire can generally be found that matches or exceeds the efficacy of benchmark technologies in a given product category, and LED products continue to expand into ever-higher lumen output niches. However, the price premium for LED continues to pose a barrier to adoption in many applications, in spite of expected savings from reduced energy use and maintenance. Other factors—such as dimmability and quality of light—can also present challenges. The appropriate type, timing, and magnitude of energy efficiency activities will vary from organization to organization based on local variables and the method of evaluation. A number ofmore » factors merit consideration when prioritizing activities for development. Category-specific projections for pricing and efficacy are provided herein to assist in efficiency program planning efforts.« less

Synthetic biology approaches in cancer immunotherapy, genetic network engineering, and genome editing.

PubMed

Chakravarti, Deboki; Cho, Jang Hwan; Weinberg, Benjamin H; Wong, Nicole M; Wong, Wilson W

2016-04-18

Investigations into cells and their contents have provided evolving insight into the emergence of complex biological behaviors. Capitalizing on this knowledge, synthetic biology seeks to manipulate the cellular machinery towards novel purposes, extending discoveries from basic science to new applications. While these developments have demonstrated the potential of building with biological parts, the complexity of cells can pose numerous challenges. In this review, we will highlight the broad and vital role that the synthetic biology approach has played in applying fundamental biological discoveries in receptors, genetic circuits, and genome-editing systems towards translation in the fields of immunotherapy, biosensors, disease models and gene therapy. These examples are evidence of the strength of synthetic approaches, while also illustrating considerations that must be addressed when developing systems around living cells.

Waiting for transplant: physical, psychosocial, and nutritional status considerations for pediatric candidates and implications for care.

PubMed

Anthony, Samantha J; Annunziato, Rachel A; Fairey, Elise; Kelly, Vicky L; So, Stephanie; Wray, Jo

2014-08-01

The waiting period for an organ transplant has been described as a time of tremendous uncertainty and vulnerability, posing unique challenges and stressors for pediatric transplant candidates and their families. It has been identified as the most stressful stage of the transplant journey, yet little attention has been given to the physical, psychological, or social impact of the waiting period in the literature. In this review, we discuss the physical, nutritional, and psychosocial implications of the waiting period for child and adolescent transplant candidates and the impact on their parents and siblings. We identify areas for future research and provide recommendations for clinical practice to support children, adolescents, and families during the waiting period. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Unplanned Complex Suicide-A Consideration of Multiple Methods.

PubMed

Ateriya, Navneet; Kanchan, Tanuj; Shekhawat, Raghvendra Singh; Setia, Puneet; Saraf, Ashish

2018-05-01

Detailed death investigations are mandatory to find out the exact cause and manner in non-natural deaths. In this reference, use of multiple methods in suicide poses a challenge for the investigators especially when the choice of methods to cause death is unplanned. There is an increased likelihood that doubts of homicide are raised in cases of unplanned complex suicides. A case of complex suicide is reported where the victim resorted to multiple methods to end his life, and what appeared to be an unplanned variant based on the death scene investigations. A meticulous crime scene examination, interviews of the victim's relatives and other witnesses, and a thorough autopsy are warranted to conclude on the cause and manner of death in all such cases. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Strategies for Coordination of a Serosurvey in Parallel with an Immunization Coverage Survey

PubMed Central

Travassos, Mark A.; Beyene, Berhane; Adam, Zenaw; Campbell, James D.; Mulholland, Nigisti; Diarra, Seydou S.; Kassa, Tassew; Oot, Lisa; Sequeira, Jenny; Reymann, Mardi; Blackwelder, William C.; Pasetti, Marcela F.; Sow, Samba O.; Steinglass, Robert; Kebede, Amha; Levine, Myron M.

2015-01-01

A community-based immunization coverage survey is the standard way to estimate effective vaccination delivery to a target population in a region. Accompanying serosurveys can provide objective measures of protective immunity against vaccine-preventable diseases but pose considerable challenges with respect to specimen collection and preservation and community compliance. We performed serosurveys coupled to immunization coverage surveys in three administrative districts (woredas) in rural Ethiopia. Critical to the success of this effort were serosurvey equipment and supplies, team composition, and tight coordination with the coverage survey. Application of these techniques to future studies may foster more widespread use of serosurveys to derive more objective assessments of vaccine-derived seroprotection and monitor and compare the performance of immunization services in different districts of a country. PMID:26055737

Climate, Santa Ana Winds and Autumn Wildfires in Southern California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westerling, Anthony L.; Cayan, Daniel R.; Brown, Timothy J.; Hall, Beth L.; Riddle, Laurence G.

2004-08-01

Wildfires periodically burn large areas of chaparral and adjacent woodlands in autumn and winter in southern California. These fires often occur in conjunction with Santa Ana weather events, which combine high winds and low humidity, and tend to follow a wet winter rainy season. Because conditions fostering large fall and winter wildfires in California are the result of large-scale patterns in atmospheric circulation, the same dangerous conditions are likely to occur over a wide area at the same time. Furthermore, over a century of watershed reserve management and fire suppression have promoted fuel accumulations, helping to shape one of the most conflagration-prone environments in the world. Combined with a complex topography and a large human population, southern Californian ecology and climate pose a considerable physical and societal challenge to fire management.

Design control considerations for biologic-device combination products.

PubMed

Anderson, Dave; Liu, Roger; Anand Subramony, J; Cammack, Jon

2017-03-01

Combination products are therapeutic and diagnostic medical products that combine drugs, devices, and/or biological products with one another. Historically, biologics development involved identifying efficacious doses administered to patients intravenously or perhaps by a syringe. Until fairly recently, there has been limited focus on developing an accompanying medical device, such as a prefilled syringe or auto-injector, to enable easy and more efficient delivery. For the last several years, and looking forward, where there may be little to distinguish biologics medicines with relatively similar efficacy profiles, the biotechnology market is beginning to differentiate products by patient-focused, biologic-device based combination products. As innovative as biologic-device combination products are, they can pose considerable development, regulatory, and commercialization challenges due to unique physicochemical properties and special clinical considerations (e.g., dosing volumes, frequency, co-medications, etc.) of the biologic medicine. A biologic-device combination product is a marriage between two partners with "cultural differences," so to speak. There are clear differences in the development, review, and commercialization processes of the biologic and the device. When these two cultures come together in a combination product, developers and reviewers must find ways to address the design controls and risk management processes of both the biologic and device, and knit them into a single entity with supporting product approval documentation. Moreover, digital medicine and connected health trends are pushing the boundaries of combination product development and regulations even further. Despite an admirable cooperation between industry and FDA in recent years, unique product configurations and design features have resulted in review challenges. These challenges have prompted agency reviewers to modernize consultation processes, while at the same time, promoting development of innovative, safe and effective combination products. It remains the manufacturer's responsibility to comply with the relevant requirements and regulations, and develop good business practices that clearly describe how these practices comply with FDA's final rule (21 CFR Part 4) and aligns with the company's already established quality system. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Challenges of Career and Technical Education Concurrent Enrollment: An Administrative Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haag, Patricia W.

2015-01-01

Career and technical education concurrent enrollment may pose unique challenges in programming and enrollment for program administrators, and this chapter describes the experiences and challenges of a CTE concurrent enrollment administrator.

Nitrogen limitation on land: how can it occur in Earth system models?

PubMed

Thomas, R Quinn; Brookshire, E N Jack; Gerber, Stefan

2015-05-01

The representation of the nitrogen (N) cycle in Earth system models (ESMs) is strongly motivated by the constraint N poses on the sequestration of anthropogenic carbon (C). Models typically implement a stoichiometric relationship between C and N in which external supply and assimilation by organisms are adjusted to maintain their internal stoichiometry. N limitation of primary productivity thus occurs if the N supply from uptake and fixation cannot keep up with the construction of tissues allowed by C assimilation. This basic approach, however, presents considerable challenges in how to faithfully represent N limitation. Here, we review how N limitation is currently implemented and evaluated in ESMs and highlight challenges and opportunities in their future development. At or near steady state, N limitation is governed by the magnitude of losses from the plant-unavailable pool vs. N fixation and there are considerable differences in how models treat both processes. In nonsteady-state systems, the accumulation of N in pools with slow turnover rates reduces N available for plant uptake and can be challenging to represent when initializing ESM simulations. Transactional N limitation occurs when N is incorporated into various vegetation and soil pools and becomes available to plants only after it is mineralized, the dynamics of which depends on how ESMs represent decomposition processes in soils. Other challenges for ESMs emerge when considering seasonal to interannual climatic oscillations as they create asynchronies between C and N demand, leading to transient alternations between N surplus and deficit. Proper evaluation of N dynamics in ESMs requires conceptual understanding of the main levers that trigger N limitation, and we highlight key measurements and observations that can help constrain these levers. Two of the biggest challenges are the mechanistic representation of plant controls on N availability and turnover, including N fixation and organic matter decomposition processes. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Social considerations of inflammatory bowel disease in Southern Israel.

PubMed

Taylor, Jonathan; Neff, Chase

2017-07-17

Chronic diseases pose unique social challenges beyond traditional health considerations that require specific attention. In this report, we examine the case of a middle-aged woman with ulcerative colitis, living in Southern Israel. Trust between the patient and physician is shown to positively influence a variety of therapeutic outcomes and should be considered a fundamental component of successful care. In context of the military conflict between Israel and Gaza, the needs of patients with chronic diseases cannot be forgotten. The work environment is also identified as an area of particular concern, as a supportive work environment is essential in order to maintain satisfaction in the workplace and sustain a high quality of life. Out-of-pocket costs for medications are confirmed to be a significant barrier to adherence. Better understanding of patients’ financial capabilities, along with affordable therapeutic interventions, will alleviate healthcare-related financial burdens and improve health outcomes. © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Improved pose and affinity predictions using different protocols tailored on the basis of data availability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prathipati, Philip; Nagao, Chioko; Ahmad, Shandar; Mizuguchi, Kenji

2016-09-01

The D3R 2015 grand drug design challenge provided a set of blinded challenges for evaluating the applicability of our protocols for pose and affinity prediction. In the present study, we report the application of two different strategies for the two D3R protein targets HSP90 and MAP4K4. HSP90 is a well-studied target system with numerous co-crystal structures and SAR data. Furthermore the D3R HSP90 test compounds showed high structural similarity to existing HSP90 inhibitors in BindingDB. Thus, we adopted an integrated docking and scoring approach involving a combination of both pharmacophoric and heavy atom similarity alignments, local minimization and quantitative structure activity relationships modeling, resulting in the reasonable prediction of pose [with the root mean square deviation (RMSD) values of 1.75 Å for mean pose 1, 1.417 Å for the mean best pose and 1.85 Å for the mean all poses] and affinity (ROC AUC = 0.702 at 7.5 pIC50 cut-off and R = 0.45 for 180 compounds). The second protein, MAP4K4, represents a novel system with limited SAR and co-crystal structure data and little structural similarity of the D3R MAP4K4 test compounds to known MAP4K4 ligands. For this system, we implemented an exhaustive pose and affinity prediction protocol involving docking and scoring using the PLANTS software which considers side chain flexibility together with protein-ligand fingerprints analysis assisting in pose prioritization. This protocol through fares poorly in pose prediction (with the RMSD values of 4.346 Å for mean pose 1, 4.69 Å for mean best pose and 4.75 Å for mean all poses) and produced reasonable affinity prediction (AUC = 0.728 at 7.5 pIC50 cut-off and R = 0.67 for 18 compounds, ranked 1st among 80 submissions).

Next-generation sequencing for endocrine cancers: Recent advances and challenges.

PubMed

Suresh, Padmanaban S; Venkatesh, Thejaswini; Tsutsumi, Rie; Shetty, Abhishek

2017-05-01

Contemporary molecular biology research tools have enriched numerous areas of biomedical research that address challenging diseases, including endocrine cancers (pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, testicular, ovarian, and neuroendocrine cancers). These tools have placed several intriguing clues before the scientific community. Endocrine cancers pose a major challenge in health care and research despite considerable attempts by researchers to understand their etiology. Microarray analyses have provided gene signatures from many cells, tissues, and organs that can differentiate healthy states from diseased ones, and even show patterns that correlate with stages of a disease. Microarray data can also elucidate the responses of endocrine tumors to therapeutic treatments. The rapid progress in next-generation sequencing methods has overcome many of the initial challenges of these technologies, and their advantages over microarray techniques have enabled them to emerge as valuable aids for clinical research applications (prognosis, identification of drug targets, etc.). A comprehensive review describing the recent advances in next-generation sequencing methods and their application in the evaluation of endocrine and endocrine-related cancers is lacking. The main purpose of this review is to illustrate the concepts that collectively constitute our current view of the possibilities offered by next-generation sequencing technological platforms, challenges to relevant applications, and perspectives on the future of clinical genetic testing of patients with endocrine tumors. We focus on recent discoveries in the use of next-generation sequencing methods for clinical diagnosis of endocrine tumors in patients and conclude with a discussion on persisting challenges and future objectives.

The Barrow-in-Furness legionnaires' outbreak: qualitative study of the hospital response and the role of the major incident plan.

PubMed

Smith, A F; Wild, C; Law, J

2005-04-01

To document the organisational response of Furness General Hospital to the large outbreak of legionnaire's disease in April 2002 and assess the contribution made by the hospital's major incident plan. Qualitative analysis of interview transcripts and written comments from some staff involved in the management of the incident. Documentary analysis of major incident plan and other written materials. The incident posed considerable managerial and clinical problems and this paper describes how they were overcome. In particular, strategies for dealing with supply (of staff, beds, and resources) and managing demand (by liaising with primary care and the public) seem to have been successful. Many functions necessary for managing the incident were poorly dealt with in the plan, especially procedures for handling the news media and liaison with agencies outside the hospital. Lack of explicit guidance appeared not to hinder the organisational response. There may have been an unspoken high level decision to allow staff to draw on their skills and experience in improvising a response to the initial challenge and learning adaptively as the incident unfolded. There was also evidence that staff disregarded existing job and role boundaries and focused instead on tasks, working flexibly to ensure that these tasks were completed. Protracted major incidents pose particular management challenges and may benefit from an approach different from that set out in typical major incident plans. Staff must be able to act flexibly and responsively. Some form of checklist or toolkit may be preferable to a detailed plan for some types of incident.

Design and methodology of a mixed methods follow-up study to the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey

PubMed Central

Staveteig, Sarah; Aryeetey, Richmond; Anie-Ansah, Michael; Ahiadeke, Clement; Ortiz, Ladys

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: The intended meaning behind responses to standard questions posed in large-scale health surveys are not always well understood. Systematic follow-up studies, particularly those which pose a few repeated questions followed by open-ended discussions, are well positioned to gauge stability and consistency of data and to shed light on the intended meaning behind survey responses. Such follow-up studies require extensive coordination and face challenges in protecting respondent confidentiality during the process of recontacting and reinterviewing participants. Objectives: We describe practical field strategies for undertaking a mixed methods follow-up study during a large-scale health survey. Methods: The study was designed as a mixed methods follow-up study embedded within the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS). The study was implemented in 13 clusters. Android tablets were used to import reference data from the parent survey and to administer the questionnaire, which asked a mixture of closed- and open-ended questions on reproductive intentions, decision-making, and family planning. Results: Despite a number of obstacles related to recontacting respondents and concern about respondent fatigue, over 92 percent of the selected sub-sample were successfully recontacted and reinterviewed; all consented to audio recording. A confidential linkage between GDHS data, follow-up tablet data, and audio transcripts was successfully created for the purpose of analysis. Conclusions: We summarize the challenges in follow-up study design, including ethical considerations, sample size, auditing, filtering, successful use of tablets, and share lessons learned for future such follow-up surveys. PMID:28145817

The Barrow-in-Furness legionnaires' outbreak: qualitative study of the hospital response and the role of the major incident plan

PubMed Central

Smith, A; Wild, C; Law, J

2005-01-01

Objective: To document the organisational response of Furness General Hospital to the large outbreak of legionnaire's disease in April 2002 and assess the contribution made by the hospital's major incident plan. Method: Qualitative analysis of interview transcripts and written comments from some staff involved in the management of the incident. Documentary analysis of major incident plan and other written materials. Results: The incident posed considerable managerial and clinical problems and this paper describes how they were overcome. In particular, strategies for dealing with supply (of staff, beds, and resources) and managing demand (by liaising with primary care and the public) seem to have been successful. Many functions necessary for managing the incident were poorly dealt with in the plan, especially procedures for handling the news media and liaison with agencies outside the hospital. Lack of explicit guidance appeared not to hinder the organisational response. There may have been an unspoken high level decision to allow staff to draw on their skills and experience in improvising a response to the initial challenge and learning adaptively as the incident unfolded. There was also evidence that staff disregarded existing job and role boundaries and focused instead on tasks, working flexibly to ensure that these tasks were completed. Conclusions: Protracted major incidents pose particular management challenges and may benefit from an approach different from that set out in typical major incident plans. Staff must be able to act flexibly and responsively. Some form of checklist or toolkit may be preferable to a detailed plan for some types of incident. PMID:15788822

Cockpit Accommodation Assessment of the Bell 412CF Helicopter (Evaluation du Poste de Pilotage de l’Hellcoptere Bell 412CF)

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-12-01

Research, Ottawa , 1998 as issued jointly by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada...Flight Rules ) skills. Nine Bell 412CF helicopters were produced from existing CH-146 Griffons, which posed technical challenges. One such compromise was...IFR (Instrument Flight Rules ) skills. Nine Bell 412CF helicopters were produced from existing CH-146 Griffons, which posed technical challenges. One

Single leg balancing in ballet: effects of shoe conditions and poses.

PubMed

Lobo da Costa, Paula H; Azevedo Nora, Fernanda G S; Vieira, Marcus Fraga; Bosch, Kerstin; Rosenbaum, Dieter

2013-03-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the effects of lower limb positioning and shoe conditions on stability levels of selected single leg ballet poses performed in demi-pointe position. Fourteen female non-professional ballet dancers (mean age of 18.4±2.8 years and mean body mass index of 21.5±2.8kg/m(2)) who had practiced ballet for at least seven years, without any musculoskeletal impairment volunteered to participate in this study. A capacitive pressure platform allowed for the assessment of center of pressure variables related to the execution of three single leg ballet poses in demi pointé position: attitude devant, attitude derriére, and attitude a la second. Peak pressures, contact areas, COP oscillation areas, anterior-posterior and medio-lateral COP oscillations and velocities were compared between two shoe conditions (barefoot versus slippers) and among the different poses. Barefoot performances produced more stable poses with significantly higher plantar contact areas, smaller COP oscillation areas and smaller anterior-posterior COP oscillations. COP oscillation areas, anterior-posterior COP oscillations and medio-lateral COP velocities indicated that attitude a la second is the least challenging and attitude derriére the most challenging pose. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Global Climate Change and the Mitigation Challenge

EPA Science Inventory

Book edited by Frank Princiotta titled Global Climate Change--The Technology Challenge Transparent modeling tools and the most recent literature are used, to quantify the challenge posed by climate change and potential technological remedies. The chapter examines forces driving ...

Laundry Facility Considerations: Tips on an Often Overlooked Student Housing Issue.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reynolds, Rick

1991-01-01

Administrators making long-term decisions on campus laundry equipment and service need to consider self-ownership versus contracting. Considerations in selecting a contractor include the contract, accountability, repair services, and machine usage pricing. Laundry rooms should not be located where they pose security problems and should be arranged…

Predicting the affinity of Farnesoid X Receptor ligands through a hierarchical ranking protocol: a D3R Grand Challenge 2 case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Réau, Manon; Langenfeld, Florent; Zagury, Jean-François; Montes, Matthieu

2018-01-01

The Drug Design Data Resource (D3R) Grand Challenges are blind contests organized to assess the state-of-the-art methods accuracy in predicting binding modes and relative binding free energies of experimentally validated ligands for a given target. The second stage of the D3R Grand Challenge 2 (GC2) was focused on ranking 102 compounds according to their predicted affinity for Farnesoid X Receptor. In this task, our workflow was ranked 5th out of the 77 submissions in the structure-based category. Our strategy consisted in (1) a combination of molecular docking using AutoDock 4.2 and manual edition of available structures for binding poses generation using SeeSAR, (2) the use of HYDE scoring for pose selection, and (3) a hierarchical ranking using HYDE and MM/GBSA. In this report, we detail our pose generation and ligands ranking protocols and provide guidelines to be used in a prospective computer aided drug design program.

Will learning to solve one-step equations pose a challenge to 8th grade students?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ngu, Bing Hiong; Phan, Huy P.

2017-08-01

Assimilating multiple interactive elements simultaneously in working memory to allow understanding to occur, while solving an equation, would impose a high cognitive load. Element interactivity arises from the interaction between elements within and across operational and relational lines. Moreover, operating with special features (e.g. negative pronumeral) poses additional challenge to master equation solving skills. In an experiment, 41 8th grade students (girls = 16, boys = 25) sat for a pre-test, attended a session about equation solving, completed an acquisition phase which constituted the main intervention and were tested again in a post-test. The results showed that at post-test, students performed better on one-step equations tapping low rather than high element interactivity knowledge. In addition, students performed better on those one-step equations that contained no special features. Thus, both the degree of element interactivity and the operation with special features affect the challenge posed to 8th grade students on learning how to solve one-step equations.

A review of cooperative and uncooperative spacecraft pose determination techniques for close-proximity operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Opromolla, Roberto; Fasano, Giancarmine; Rufino, Giancarlo; Grassi, Michele

2017-08-01

The capability of an active spacecraft to accurately estimate its relative position and attitude (pose) with respect to an active/inactive, artificial/natural space object (target) orbiting in close-proximity is required to carry out various activities like formation flying, on-orbit servicing, active debris removal, and space exploration. According to the specific mission scenario, the pose determination task involves both theoretical and technological challenges related to the search for the most suitable algorithmic solution and sensor architecture, respectively. As regards the latter aspect, electro-optical sensors represent the best option as their use is compatible with mass and power limitation of micro and small satellites, and their measurements can be processed to estimate all the pose parameters. Overall, the degree of complexity of the challenges related to pose determination largely varies depending on the nature of the targets, which may be actively/passively cooperative, uncooperative but known, or uncooperative and unknown space objects. In this respect, while cooperative pose determination has been successfully demonstrated in orbit, the uncooperative case is still under study by universities, research centers, space agencies and private companies. However, in both the cases, the demand for space applications involving relative navigation maneuvers, also in close-proximity, for which pose determination capabilities are mandatory, is significantly increasing. In this framework, a review of state-of-the-art techniques and algorithms developed in the last decades for cooperative and uncooperative pose determination by processing data provided by electro-optical sensors is herein presented. Specifically, their main advantages and drawbacks in terms of achieved performance, computational complexity, and sensitivity to variability of pose and target geometry, are highlighted.

Docking pose selection by interaction pattern graph similarity: application to the D3R grand challenge 2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slynko, Inna; Da Silva, Franck; Bret, Guillaume; Rognan, Didier

2016-09-01

High affinity ligands for a given target tend to share key molecular interactions with important anchoring amino acids and therefore often present quite conserved interaction patterns. This simple concept was formalized in a topological knowledge-based scoring function (GRIM) for selecting the most appropriate docking poses from previously X-rayed interaction patterns. GRIM first converts protein-ligand atomic coordinates (docking poses) into a simple 3D graph describing the corresponding interaction pattern. In a second step, proposed graphs are compared to that found from template structures in the Protein Data Bank. Last, all docking poses are rescored according to an empirical score (GRIMscore) accounting for overlap of maximum common subgraphs. Taking the opportunity of the public D3R Grand Challenge 2015, GRIM was used to rescore docking poses for 36 ligands (6 HSP90α inhibitors, 30 MAP4K4 inhibitors) prior to the release of the corresponding protein-ligand X-ray structures. When applied to the HSP90α dataset, for which many protein-ligand X-ray structures are already available, GRIM provided very high quality solutions (mean rmsd = 1.06 Å, n = 6) as top-ranked poses, and significantly outperformed a state-of-the-art scoring function. In the case of MAP4K4 inhibitors, for which preexisting 3D knowledge is scarce and chemical diversity is much larger, the accuracy of GRIM poses decays (mean rmsd = 3.18 Å, n = 30) although GRIM still outperforms an energy-based scoring function. GRIM rescoring appears to be quite robust with comparison to the other approaches competing for the same challenge (42 submissions for the HSP90 dataset, 27 for the MAP4K4 dataset) as it ranked 3rd and 2nd respectively, for the two investigated datasets. The rescoring method is quite simple to implement, independent on a docking engine, and applicable to any target for which at least one holo X-ray structure is available.

Prediction of binding poses to FXR using multi-targeted docking combined with molecular dynamics and enhanced sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhakat, Soumendranath; Åberg, Emil; Söderhjelm, Pär

2018-01-01

Advanced molecular docking methods often aim at capturing the flexibility of the protein upon binding to the ligand. In this study, we investigate whether instead a simple rigid docking method can be applied, if combined with multiple target structures to model the backbone flexibility and molecular dynamics simulations to model the sidechain and ligand flexibility. The methods are tested for the binding of 35 ligands to FXR as part of the first stage of the Drug Design Data Resource (D3R) Grand Challenge 2 blind challenge. The results show that the multiple-target docking protocol performs surprisingly well, with correct poses found for 21 of the ligands. MD simulations started on the docked structures are remarkably stable, but show almost no tendency of refining the structure closer to the experimentally found binding pose. Reconnaissance metadynamics enhances the exploration of new binding poses, but additional collective variables involving the protein are needed to exploit the full potential of the method.

Prediction of binding poses to FXR using multi-targeted docking combined with molecular dynamics and enhanced sampling.

PubMed

Bhakat, Soumendranath; Åberg, Emil; Söderhjelm, Pär

2018-01-01

Advanced molecular docking methods often aim at capturing the flexibility of the protein upon binding to the ligand. In this study, we investigate whether instead a simple rigid docking method can be applied, if combined with multiple target structures to model the backbone flexibility and molecular dynamics simulations to model the sidechain and ligand flexibility. The methods are tested for the binding of 35 ligands to FXR as part of the first stage of the Drug Design Data Resource (D3R) Grand Challenge 2 blind challenge. The results show that the multiple-target docking protocol performs surprisingly well, with correct poses found for 21 of the ligands. MD simulations started on the docked structures are remarkably stable, but show almost no tendency of refining the structure closer to the experimentally found binding pose. Reconnaissance metadynamics enhances the exploration of new binding poses, but additional collective variables involving the protein are needed to exploit the full potential of the method.

Development and preliminary testing of a web-based, self-help application for disaster-affected families.

PubMed

Yuen, Erica K; Gros, Kirstin; Welsh, Kyleen E; McCauley, Jenna; Resnick, Heidi S; Danielson, Carla K; Price, Matthew; Ruggiero, Kenneth J

2016-09-01

Technology-based self-help interventions have the potential to increase access to evidence-based mental healthcare, especially for families affected by natural disasters. However, development of these interventions is a complex process and poses unique challenges. Usability testing, which assesses the ability of individuals to use an application successfully, can have a significant impact on the quality of a self-help intervention. This article describes (a) the development of a novel web-based multi-module self-help intervention for disaster-affected adolescents and their parents and (b) a mixed-methods formal usability study to evaluate user response. A total of 24 adolescents were observed, videotaped, and interviewed as they used the depressed mood component of the self-help intervention. Quantitative results indicated an above-average user experience, and qualitative analysis identified 120 unique usability issues. We discuss the challenges of developing self-help applications, including design considerations and the value of usability testing in technology-based interventions, as well as our plan for widespread dissemination. © The Author(s) 2015.

Engaging physicians in continuous quality improvement.

PubMed

Lindenfeld, S; Vlchek, D

2001-04-01

The current ESRD environment poses significant challenges for the medical director and the admitting nephrologist of a dialysis facility. The expectations and requirements of their role have broadened and are under much greater scrutiny today than ever before. A positive response to this challenge lies in the appropriate incorporation of continuous quality improvement (CQI) methods into the provision of dialysis care. By embracing CQI the physician will find these new requirements considerably less taxing and indeed hopefully positive in their impact on the quality of care delivered to his patients. Essential components of the CQI methodology include the use of a multidisciplinary team; participative management; a consistent process, well understood by all team members; a content expert (team leader); and a trained facilitator. A familiarity with CQI tools and techniques and a willingness to play whatever is the most appropriate role in theCQI team-leader, facilitator, or contributing member-will be positive not only to those under the nephrologist's care, but also to his own professional growth and satisfaction as well. Copyright 2001 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc.

Novel Control Strategy for Multiple Run-of-the-River Hydro Power Plants to Provide Grid Ancillary Services

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

Mohanpurkar, Manish; Luo, Yusheng; Hovsapian, Rob

Hydropower plant (HPP) generation comprises a considerable portion of bulk electricity generation and is delivered with a low-carbon footprint. In fact, HPP electricity generation provides the largest share from renewable energy resources, which include wind and solar. Increasing penetration levels of wind and solar lead to a lower inertia on the electric grid, which poses stability challenges. In recent years, breakthroughs in energy storage technologies have demonstrated the economic and technical feasibility of extensive deployments of renewable energy resources on electric grids. If integrated with scalable, multi-time-step energy storage so that the total output can be controlled, multiple run-of-the-river (ROR)more » HPPs can be deployed. Although the size of a single energy storage system is much smaller than that of a typical reservoir, the ratings of storages and multiple ROR HPPs approximately equal the rating of a large, conventional HPP. This paper proposes cohesively managing multiple sets of energy storage systems distributed in different locations. This paper also describes the challenges associated with ROR HPP system architecture and operation.« less

Observations of Shock Diffusion and Interactions in Supersonic Freestreams with Counterflowing Jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daso, Endwell O.; Pritchett, Victor E.; Wang, Ten-See; Blankson, Isiah M.; Auslender, Aaron H.

2006-01-01

One of the technical challenges in long-duration space exploration and interplanetary missions is controlled entry and re-entry into planetary and Earth atmospheres, which requires the dissipation of considerable kinetic energy as the spacecraft decelerates and penetrates the atmosphere. Efficient heat load management of stagnation points and acreage heating remains a technological challenge and poses significant risk, particularly for human missions. An innovative approach using active flow control concept is proposed to significantly modify the external flow field about the spacecraft in planetary atmospheric entry and re-entry in order to mitigate the harsh aerothermal environments, and significantly weaken and disperse the shock-wave system to reduce aerothermal loads and wave drag, as well as improving aerodynamic performance. To explore the potential benefits of this approach, we conducted fundamental experiments in a trisonic blow down wind tunnel to investigate the effects of counterflowing sonic and supersonic jets against supersonic freestreams to gain a better understanding of the flow physics of the interactions of the opposing flows and the resulting shock structure.

Meta-analysis, complexity, and heterogeneity: a qualitative interview study of researchers' methodological values and practices.

PubMed

Lorenc, Theo; Felix, Lambert; Petticrew, Mark; Melendez-Torres, G J; Thomas, James; Thomas, Sian; O'Mara-Eves, Alison; Richardson, Michelle

2016-11-16

Complex or heterogeneous data pose challenges for systematic review and meta-analysis. In recent years, a number of new methods have been developed to meet these challenges. This qualitative interview study aimed to understand researchers' understanding of complexity and heterogeneity and the factors which may influence the choices researchers make in synthesising complex data. We conducted interviews with a purposive sample of researchers (N = 19) working in systematic review or meta-analysis across a range of disciplines. We analysed data thematically using a framework approach. Participants reported using a broader range of methods and data types in complex reviews than in traditional reviews. A range of techniques are used to explore heterogeneity, but there is some debate about their validity, particularly when applied post hoc. Technical considerations of how to synthesise complex evidence cannot be isolated from questions of the goals and contexts of research. However, decisions about how to analyse data appear to be made in a largely informal way, drawing on tacit expertise, and their relation to these broader questions remains unclear.

Nanoparticle-Based Manipulation of Antigen-Presenting Cells for Cancer Immunotherapy.

PubMed

Fang, Ronnie H; Kroll, Ashley V; Zhang, Liangfang

2015-11-04

Immunotherapeutic approaches for treating cancer overall have been receiving a considerable amount of interest due to the recent approval of several clinical formulations. Among the different modalities, anticancer vaccination acts by training the body to endogenously generate a response against tumor cells. However, despite the large amount of work that has gone into the development of such vaccines, the near absence of clinically approved formulations highlights the many challenges facing those working in the field. The generation of potent endogenous anticancer responses poses unique challenges due to the similarity between cancer cells and normal, healthy cells. As researchers continue to tackle the limited efficacy of vaccine formulations, fresh and novel approaches are being sought after to address many of the underlying problems. Here the application of nanoparticle technology towards the development of anticancer vaccines is discussed. Specifically, there is a focus on the benefits of using such strategies to manipulate antigen presenting cells (APCs), which are essential to the vaccination process, and how nanoparticle-based platforms can be rationally engineered to elicit appropriate downstream immune responses. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Plant-based FRET biosensor discriminates enviornmental zinc levels

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Heavy metal accumulation in the environment poses great risks to flora and fauna. However, monitoring sites prone to accumulation poses scale and economic challenges. In this study, we present and test a method for monitoring these sites using fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) change in r...

Security, development and human rights: normative, legal and policy challenges for the international drug control system.

PubMed

Barrett, Damon

2010-03-01

This commentary addresses some of the challenges posed by the broader normative, legal and policy framework of the United Nations for the international drug control system. The 'purposes and principles' of the United Nations are presented and set against the threat based rhetoric of the drug control system and the negative consequences of that system. Some of the challenges posed by human rights law and norms to the international drug control system are also described, and the need for an impact assessment of the current system alongside alternative policy options is highlighted as a necessary consequence of these analyses. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Trade-off Analysis of Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tuna, G.; Das, R.

2017-09-01

In the last couple of decades, Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks (UASNs) were started to be used for various commercial and non-commercial purposes. However, in underwater environments, there are some specific inherent constraints, such as high bit error rate, variable and large propagation delay, limited bandwidth capacity, and short-range communications, which severely degrade the performance of UASNs and limit the lifetime of underwater sensor nodes as well. Therefore, proving reliability of UASN applications poses a challenge. In this study, we try to balance energy consumption of underwater acoustic sensor networks and minimize end-to-end delay using an efficient node placement strategy. Our simulation results reveal that if the number of hops is reduced, energy consumption can be reduced. However, this increases end-to-end delay. Hence, application-specific requirements must be taken into consideration when determining a strategy for node deployment.

Social representations of HIV/AIDS in Central and Eastern Europe.

PubMed

Goodwin, Robin; Kozlova, Alexandra; Kwiatkowska, Anna; Anh Nguyen Luu, Lan; Nizharadze, George; Realo, Anu; Külvet, Ahto; Rämmer, Andu

2003-04-01

Although a relatively recent epidemic, HIV is now increasing in Eastern Europe faster than anywhere else in the world. In the study reported in this paper, we interviewed 511 business people and health professionals in five Central and Eastern European nations: Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Poland and Russia, deriving our questions primarily from a Social Representations perspective. Respondents also freely completed their associations with the stimulus word 'AIDS'. Our findings indicate that, although there is considerable agreement about the threat posed by the epidemic, there are also notable cultural differences in attributions about the origin and spread of the virus and the nature of those groups at risk of infection. These findings are interpreted in the light of the historical legacies of the Communist era, as well as the real economic and social challenges faced by the population of this region.

An anthropological exploration of contemporary bioethics: the varieties of common sense.

PubMed

Turner, L

1998-04-01

Patients and physicians can inhabit distinctive social worlds where they are guided by diverse understandings of moral practice. Despite the contemporary presence of multiple moral traditions, religious communities and ethnic backgrounds, two of the major methodological approaches in bioethics, casuistry and principlism, rely upon the notion of a common morality. However, the heterogeneity of ethnic, moral, and religious traditions raises questions concerning the singularity of common sense. Indeed, it might be more appropriate to consider plural traditions of moral reasoning. This poses a considerable challenge for bioethicists because the existence of plural moral traditions can lead to difficulties regarding "closure" in moral reasoning. The topics of truth-telling, informed consent, euthanasia, and brain death and organ transplantation reveal the presence of different understandings of common sense. With regard to these subjects, plural accounts of "common sense" moral reasoning exist.

Beam Tests of Diamond-Like Carbon Coating for Mitigation of Electron Cloud

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

Eldred, Jeffrey; Backfish, Michael; Kato, Shigeki

Electron cloud beam instabilities are an important consideration in virtually all high-energy particle accelerators and could pose a formidable challenge to forthcoming high-intensity accelerator upgrades. Our results evaluate the efficacy of a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating for the mitigation of electron in the Fermilab Main Injector. The interior surface of the beampipe conditions in response to electron bombardment from the electron cloud and we track the change in electron cloud flux over time in the DLC coated beampipe and uncoated stainless steel beampipe. The electron flux is measured by retarding field analyzers placed in a field-free region of the Mainmore » Injector. We find the DLC coating reduces the electron cloud signal to roughly 2\\% of that measured in the uncoated stainless steel beampipe.« less

Representations of swine flu: perspectives from a Malaysian pig farm.

PubMed

Goodwin, Robin; Haque, Shamsul; Hassan, Sharifah Binti Syed; Dhanoa, Amreeta

2011-07-01

Novel influenza viruses are seen, internationally, as posing considerable health challenges, but public responses to such viruses are often rooted in cultural representations of disease and risk. However, little research has been conducted in locations associated with the origin of a pandemic. We examined representations and risk perceptions associated with swine flu amongst 120 Malaysian pig farmers. Thirty-seven per cent of respondents felt at particular risk of infection, two-thirds were somewhat or very concerned about being infected. Those respondents who were the most anxious believed particular societal "out-groups" (homosexuals, the homeless and prostitutes) to be at higher infection risk. Although few (4%) reported direct discrimination, 46% claimed friends had avoided them since the swine flu outbreak. Findings are discussed in the context of evolutionary, social representations and terror management theories of response to pandemic threat.

Considerations in reporting palliative care clinical trials: Standardizing information reported and authorship practices

PubMed Central

LeBlanc, Thomas W.; Abernethy, Amy P.; Currow, David C.; Kutner, Jean S.

2014-01-01

Purpose of Review The nature of palliative care practice, especially the reliance on referrals and differing models of service delivery, poses unique challenges for the creation and interpretation of an evidence base, frequently limiting the applicability of data to patient care. Here we discuss two core aspects of clinical trials reporting in palliative medicine: 1) proposed standards governing the collection and reporting of data, and 2) rules governing authorship and publication. Recent Findings Existing literature often inadequately describes the characteristics of patients, caregivers, clinicians, systems, and interventions included in studies, thereby limiting the utility of results. Summary A generalizability framework is needed to ensure a robust evidence base that advances practice. Lessons learned through the development of research cooperative groups in palliative care reinforce the importance of an authorship protocol for large trials and working groups. PMID:23080306

Report of an exploratory study: Safety and liability considerations for photovoltaic modules/panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weinstein, A. S.; Meeker, D. G.

1981-01-01

An overview of legal issues as they apply to design, manufacture and use of photovoltaic module/array devices is provided and a methodology is suggested for use of the design stage of these products to minimize or eliminate perceived hazards. Questions are posed to stimulate consideration of this area.

An investigation into multi-dimensional prediction models to estimate the pose error of a quadcopter in a CSP plant setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lock, Jacobus C.; Smit, Willie J.; Treurnicht, Johann

2016-05-01

The Solar Thermal Energy Research Group (STERG) is investigating ways to make heliostats cheaper to reduce the total cost of a concentrating solar power (CSP) plant. One avenue of research is to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to automate and assist with the heliostat calibration process. To do this, the pose estimation error of each UAV must be determined and integrated into a calibration procedure. A computer vision (CV) system is used to measure the pose of a quadcopter UAV. However, this CV system contains considerable measurement errors. Since this is a high-dimensional problem, a sophisticated prediction model must be used to estimate the measurement error of the CV system for any given pose measurement vector. This paper attempts to train and validate such a model with the aim of using it to determine the pose error of a quadcopter in a CSP plant setting.

Is adaptation or transformation needed? Active nanomaterials and risk analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuzma, Jennifer; Roberts, John Patrick

2016-07-01

Nanotechnology has been a key area of funding and policy for the United States and globally for the past two decades. Since nanotechnology research and development became a focus and nanoproducts began to permeate the market, scholars and scientists have been concerned about how to assess the risks that they may pose to human health and the environment. The newest generation of nanomaterials includes biomolecules that can respond to and influence their environments, and there is a need to explore whether and how existing risk-analysis frameworks are challenged by such novelty. To fill this niche, we used a modified approach of upstream oversight assessment (UOA), a subset of anticipatory governance. We first selected case studies of "active nanomaterials," that are early in research and development and designed for use in multiple sectors, and then considered them under several, key risk-analysis frameworks. We found two ways in which the cases challenge the frameworks. The first category relates to how to assess risk under a narrow framing of the term (direct health and environmental harm), and the second involves the definition of what constitutes a "risk" worthy of assessment and consideration in decision making. In light of these challenges, we propose some changes for risk analysis in the face of active nanostructures in order to improve risk governance.

Cultural Challenges to Engaging Patients in Shared Decision Making

PubMed Central

Hawley, Sarah T.; Morris, Arden M.

2016-01-01

Objective Engaging patients in their health care through shared decision-making is a priority embraced by several national and international groups. Missing from these initiatives is an understanding of the challenges involved in engaging patients from diverse backgrounds in shared decision-making. In this commentary, we summarize some of the challenges and pose points for consideration regarding how to move toward more culturally appropriate shared decision-making. Discussion The past decade has seen repeated calls for health policies, research projects and interventions that more actively include patients in decision making. Yet research has shown that patients from different racial/ethnic and cultural backgrounds appraise their decision making process less positively than do white, U.S.-born patients who are the current demographic majority. Conclusion While preliminary conceptual frameworks have been proposed for considering the role of race/ethnicity and culture in healthcare utilization, we maintain that more foundational and empirical work is necessary. We offer recommendations for how to best involve patients early in treatment and how to maximize decision making in the way most meaningful to patients. Innovative and sustained efforts are needed to educate and train providers to communicate effectively in engaging patients in informed, shared decision-making and to provide culturally competent health care. PMID:27461943

Perspectives of intellectual disability in Africa: epidemiology and policy services for children and adults.

PubMed

Njenga, Frank

2009-09-01

To establish the nature of publications emanating from or relating to intellectual disability in Africa in the previous 12-18 months, and to critically analyse the nature and content of any new knowledge arising from them. Three papers satisfied the criteria set, one from Nigeria on epilepsy and intellectual disability, the other two were from South Africa. Kromberg's paper puts intellectual disability in context for South Africa, emphasizing the role potentially played by traditional healers. Pillay's paper tackles emerging issues in the psycholegal arena in South Africa, many of which are relevant to the rest of the continent. Of the many challenges facing persons with intellectual disability in Africa, high prevalence, discrimination, and access to justice and education are key considerations, in all countries, and without exception are coupled with poor resource allocation. The challenges posed by HIV, wars and internal displacement are significant and demand examination by researchers. Opportunities for beneficial research exist between Africa and the centres of academic excellence around the rest of the world. Those centres with the skill and will to collaborate with Africa will be handsomely rewarded by the wide scope of challenges in intellectual disability that are available for scientific enquiry. Opportunities for skills transfer are many and available.

UV Decontamination of MDA Reagents for Single Cell Genomics

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

Lee, Janey; Tighe, Damon; Sczyrba, Alexander

2011-03-18

Single cell genomics, the amplification and sequencing of genomes from single cells, can provide a glimpse into the genetic make-up and thus life style of the vast majority of uncultured microbial cells, making it an immensely powerful and increasingly popular tool. This is accomplished by use of multiple displacement amplification (MDA), which can generate billions of copies of a single bacterial genome producing microgram-range DNA required for shotgun sequencing. Here, we address a key challenge inherent to this approach and propose a solution for the improved recovery of single cell genomes. While DNA-free reagents for the amplification of a singlemore » cell genome are a prerequisite for successful single cell sequencing and analysis, DNA contamination has been detected in various reagents, which poses a considerable challenge. Our study demonstrates the effect of UV irradiation in efficient elimination of exogenous contaminant DNA found in MDA reagents, while maintaining Phi29 activity. Consequently, we also find that increased UV exposure to Phi29 does not adversely affect genome coverage of MDA amplified single cells. While additional challenges in single cell genomics remain to be resolved, the proposed methodology is relatively quick and simple and we believe that its application will be of high value for future single cell sequencing projects.« less

Cultural challenges to engaging patients in shared decision making.

PubMed

Hawley, Sarah T; Morris, Arden M

2017-01-01

Engaging patients in their health care through shared decision-making is a priority embraced by several national and international groups. Missing from these initiatives is an understanding of the challenges involved in engaging patients from diverse backgrounds in shared decision-making. In this commentary, we summarize some of the challenges and pose points for consideration regarding how to move toward more culturally appropriate shared decision-making. The past decade has seen repeated calls for health policies, research projects and interventions that more actively include patients in decision making. Yet research has shown that patients from different racial/ethnic and cultural backgrounds appraise their decision making process less positively than do white, U.S.-born patients who are the current demographic majority. While preliminary conceptual frameworks have been proposed for considering the role of race/ethnicity and culture in healthcare utilization, we maintain that more foundational and empirical work is necessary. We offer recommendations for how to best involve patients early in treatment and how to maximize decision making in the way most meaningful to patients. Innovative and sustained efforts are needed to educate and train providers to communicate effectively in engaging patients in informed, shared decision-making and to provide culturally competent health care. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Intercollegiate Athletics Today and Tomorrow: The President's Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hanford, George H.

1977-01-01

Colleges and university presidents must come to terms with the challenges posed by intercollegiate athletics. The author offers concrete ideas and suggestions aimed at breaking through the confusion surrounding intercollegiate athletics. (Editor/LBH)

Strategies to improve learning of all students in a class

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suraishkumar, G. K.

2018-05-01

The statistical distribution of the student learning abilities in a typical undergraduate engineering class poses a significant challenge to simultaneously improve the learning of all the students in the class. With traditional instruction styles, the students with significantly high learning abilities are not satisfied due to a feeling of unfulfilled potential, and the students with significantly low learning abilities feel lost. To address the challenge in an undergraduate core/required course on 'transport phenomena in biological systems', a combination of learning strategies such as active learning including co-operative group learning, challenge exercises, and others were employed in a pro-advising context. The short-term and long-term impacts were evaluated through student course performances and input, respectively. The results show that it is possible to effectively address the challenge posed by the distribution of student learning abilities in a class.

D3R Grand Challenge 2: blind prediction of protein-ligand poses, affinity rankings, and relative binding free energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaieb, Zied; Liu, Shuai; Gathiaka, Symon; Chiu, Michael; Yang, Huanwang; Shao, Chenghua; Feher, Victoria A.; Walters, W. Patrick; Kuhn, Bernd; Rudolph, Markus G.; Burley, Stephen K.; Gilson, Michael K.; Amaro, Rommie E.

2018-01-01

The Drug Design Data Resource (D3R) ran Grand Challenge 2 (GC2) from September 2016 through February 2017. This challenge was based on a dataset of structures and affinities for the nuclear receptor farnesoid X receptor (FXR), contributed by F. Hoffmann-La Roche. The dataset contained 102 IC50 values, spanning six orders of magnitude, and 36 high-resolution co-crystal structures with representatives of four major ligand classes. Strong global participation was evident, with 49 participants submitting 262 prediction submission packages in total. Procedurally, GC2 mimicked Grand Challenge 2015 (GC2015), with a Stage 1 subchallenge testing ligand pose prediction methods and ranking and scoring methods, and a Stage 2 subchallenge testing only ligand ranking and scoring methods after the release of all blinded co-crystal structures. Two smaller curated sets of 18 and 15 ligands were developed to test alchemical free energy methods. This overview summarizes all aspects of GC2, including the dataset details, challenge procedures, and participant results. We also consider implications for progress in the field, while highlighting methodological areas that merit continued development. Similar to GC2015, the outcome of GC2 underscores the pressing need for methods development in pose prediction, particularly for ligand scaffolds not currently represented in the Protein Data Bank (http://www.pdb.org), and in affinity ranking and scoring of bound ligands.

Manufacturing and Security Challenges in 3D Printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zeltmann, Steven Eric; Gupta, Nikhil; Tsoutsos, Nektarios Georgios; Maniatakos, Michail; Rajendran, Jeyavijayan; Karri, Ramesh

2016-07-01

As the manufacturing time, quality, and cost associated with additive manufacturing (AM) continue to improve, more and more businesses and consumers are adopting this technology. Some of the key benefits of AM include customizing products, localizing production and reducing logistics. Due to these and numerous other benefits, AM is enabling a globally distributed manufacturing process and supply chain spanning multiple parties, and hence raises concerns about the reliability of the manufactured product. In this work, we first present a brief overview of the potential risks that exist in the cyber-physical environment of additive manufacturing. We then evaluate the risks posed by two different classes of modifications to the AM process which are representative of the challenges that are unique to AM. The risks posed are examined through mechanical testing of objects with altered printing orientation and fine internal defects. Finite element analysis and ultrasonic inspection are also used to demonstrate the potential for decreased performance and for evading detection. The results highlight several scenarios, intentional or unintentional, that can affect the product quality and pose security challenges for the additive manufacturing supply chain.

SMEs and their E-Commerce: Implications for Training in Wellington, New Zealand

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beal, Tim; Abdullah, Moha Asri

2005-01-01

One of the greatest challenges facing traditional small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) throughout the world is that posed by the Internet. While the Internet offers great potential to SMEs, from improving and cheapening production processes through to reaching global customers, it also poses great problems. SMEs' resources, human and…

The Marihuana Dilemma: Challenge to Commanders.

DTIC Science & Technology

The marihuana dilemma poses a major challenge to commanders in the US Army today. The problem was analyzed as to the characteristics of the drug...available to commanders to meet the challenge. The essay concludes that marihuana should not be legalized; drug users or former drug users should not be

Student Media Production to Meet Challenges in Climate Change Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rooney-Varga, Juliette N.; Brisk, Angelica Allende; Adams, Elizabeth; Shuldman, Elizabeth; Rath, Kenneth

2014-01-01

While the need for effective climate change education is growing, this area of geoscience also poses unique educational challenges. These challenges include the politicization of climate change, the psychological and affective responses it elicits, and common misconceptions, which can all create barriers to learning. Here, we present an…

Transforming Teaching Challenges into Learning Opportunities: Interdisciplinary Reflective Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Callaghan, Ronel

2015-01-01

Teaching in higher education poses unique sets of challenges, especially for academics in the engineering, built sciences and information science education disciplines. This article focuses on how reflective collaboration can support academics in their quest to find unique solutions to challenges in different academic contexts. A reflective…

The effect of soil on human health: an overview.

PubMed

Steffan, J J; Brevik, E C; Burgess, L C; Cerdà, A

2018-01-01

Soil has a considerable effect on human health, whether those effects are positive or negative, direct or indirect. Soil is an important source of nutrients in our food supply and medicines such as antibiotics. However, nutrient imbalances and the presence of human pathogens in the soil biological community can cause negative effects on health. There are also many locations where various elements or chemical compounds are found in soil at toxic levels, because of either natural conditions or anthropogenic activities. The soil of urban environments has received increased attention in the last few years, and they too pose a number of human health questions and challenges. Concepts such as soil security may provide a framework within which issues on soil and human health can be investigated using interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches. It will take the contributions of experts in several different scientific, medical and social science fields to address fully soil and human health issues. Although much progress was made in understanding links between soil and human health over the last century, there is still much that we do not know about the complex interactions between them. Therefore, there is still a considerable need for research in this important area.

GMT azimuth bogie wheel-rail interface wear study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teran, Jose; Lindh, Cory; Morgan, Chris; Manuel, Eric; Bigelow, Bruce C.; Burgett, William S.

2016-07-01

Performance of the GMT azimuth drive system is vital for the operation of the telescope and, as such, all components subject to wear at the drive interface merit a high level of scrutiny for achieving a proper balance between capital costs, maintenance costs, and the risk for downtime during planned and unplanned maintenance or replacement procedures. Of particular importance is the interface between the azimuth wheels and rail, as usage frequency is high, the full weight of the enclosure must be transferred through small patches of contact, and replacement of the rail would pose a greater logistical challenge than the replacement of smaller components such as bearings and gearmotors. This study investigates tradeoffs between various wheel-rail and roller-track interfaces, including performance, complexity, and anticipated wear considerations. First, a survey of railway and overhead crane industry literature is performed and general detailing recommendations are made to minimize wear and the risk of rolling contact fatigue. Second, Adams/VI-Rail is used to simulate lifetime wear of four specific configurations under consideration for the GMT azimuth wheel-rail interface; all studied configurations are shown to be viable, and their relative merits are discussed.

In-the-wild facial expression recognition in extreme poses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Fei; Zhang, Qian; Zheng, Chi; Qiu, Guoping

2018-04-01

In the computer research area, facial expression recognition is a hot research problem. Recent years, the research has moved from the lab environment to in-the-wild circumstances. It is challenging, especially under extreme poses. But current expression detection systems are trying to avoid the pose effects and gain the general applicable ability. In this work, we solve the problem in the opposite approach. We consider the head poses and detect the expressions within special head poses. Our work includes two parts: detect the head pose and group it into one pre-defined head pose class; do facial expression recognize within each pose class. Our experiments show that the recognition results with pose class grouping are much better than that of direct recognition without considering poses. We combine the hand-crafted features, SIFT, LBP and geometric feature, with deep learning feature as the representation of the expressions. The handcrafted features are added into the deep learning framework along with the high level deep learning features. As a comparison, we implement SVM and random forest to as the prediction models. To train and test our methodology, we labeled the face dataset with 6 basic expressions.

Docking pose selection by interaction pattern graph similarity: application to the D3R grand challenge 2015.

PubMed

Slynko, Inna; Da Silva, Franck; Bret, Guillaume; Rognan, Didier

2016-09-01

High affinity ligands for a given target tend to share key molecular interactions with important anchoring amino acids and therefore often present quite conserved interaction patterns. This simple concept was formalized in a topological knowledge-based scoring function (GRIM) for selecting the most appropriate docking poses from previously X-rayed interaction patterns. GRIM first converts protein-ligand atomic coordinates (docking poses) into a simple 3D graph describing the corresponding interaction pattern. In a second step, proposed graphs are compared to that found from template structures in the Protein Data Bank. Last, all docking poses are rescored according to an empirical score (GRIMscore) accounting for overlap of maximum common subgraphs. Taking the opportunity of the public D3R Grand Challenge 2015, GRIM was used to rescore docking poses for 36 ligands (6 HSP90α inhibitors, 30 MAP4K4 inhibitors) prior to the release of the corresponding protein-ligand X-ray structures. When applied to the HSP90α dataset, for which many protein-ligand X-ray structures are already available, GRIM provided very high quality solutions (mean rmsd = 1.06 Å, n = 6) as top-ranked poses, and significantly outperformed a state-of-the-art scoring function. In the case of MAP4K4 inhibitors, for which preexisting 3D knowledge is scarce and chemical diversity is much larger, the accuracy of GRIM poses decays (mean rmsd = 3.18 Å, n = 30) although GRIM still outperforms an energy-based scoring function. GRIM rescoring appears to be quite robust with comparison to the other approaches competing for the same challenge (42 submissions for the HSP90 dataset, 27 for the MAP4K4 dataset) as it ranked 3rd and 2nd respectively, for the two investigated datasets. The rescoring method is quite simple to implement, independent on a docking engine, and applicable to any target for which at least one holo X-ray structure is available.

Efficient computation of hashes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopes, Raul H. C.; Franqueira, Virginia N. L.; Hobson, Peter R.

2014-06-01

The sequential computation of hashes at the core of many distributed storage systems and found, for example, in grid services can hinder efficiency in service quality and even pose security challenges that can only be addressed by the use of parallel hash tree modes. The main contributions of this paper are, first, the identification of several efficiency and security challenges posed by the use of sequential hash computation based on the Merkle-Damgard engine. In addition, alternatives for the parallel computation of hash trees are discussed, and a prototype for a new parallel implementation of the Keccak function, the SHA-3 winner, is introduced.

Head pose estimation in computer vision: a survey.

PubMed

Murphy-Chutorian, Erik; Trivedi, Mohan Manubhai

2009-04-01

The capacity to estimate the head pose of another person is a common human ability that presents a unique challenge for computer vision systems. Compared to face detection and recognition, which have been the primary foci of face-related vision research, identity-invariant head pose estimation has fewer rigorously evaluated systems or generic solutions. In this paper, we discuss the inherent difficulties in head pose estimation and present an organized survey describing the evolution of the field. Our discussion focuses on the advantages and disadvantages of each approach and spans 90 of the most innovative and characteristic papers that have been published on this topic. We compare these systems by focusing on their ability to estimate coarse and fine head pose, highlighting approaches that are well suited for unconstrained environments.

Development of vaccines for bio-warfare agents.

PubMed

Rosenthal, S R; Clifford, J C M

2002-01-01

There is a recognized need for the development of new vaccines (as well as other biologicals and drugs) to counteract the effects of a potential bio-terrorist or bio-warfare event in the U.S. domestic population and military forces. Regulation of products to protect against potential bio-warfare agents poses unique challenges since the usual measures of efficacy that require exposure to natural disease may not currently be possible, for epidemiological and ethical reasons. To help to address this issue, the FDA has published and requested comments on a proposed animal rule intended to address certain efficacy issues for new agents for use against lethal or permanently disabling toxic substances. Recent product development activity has focused on Bacillus anthracis (anthrax) and variola major (smallpox), agents that are regarded as highest priority in posing a risk to national security. FDA resources exist to assist vaccine developers with regard to the novel challenges posed in the dinical development of these products.

Solar fuels photoanode materials discovery by integrating high-throughput theory and experiment

DOE PAGES

Yan, Qimin; Yu, Jie; Suram, Santosh K.; ...

2017-03-06

The limited number of known low-band-gap photoelectrocatalytic materials poses a significant challenge for the generation of chemical fuels from sunlight. Here, using high-throughput ab initio theory with experiments in an integrated workflow, we find eight ternary vanadate oxide photoanodes in the target band-gap range (1.2-2.8 eV). Detailed analysis of these vanadate compounds reveals the key role of VO 4 structural motifs and electronic band-edge character in efficient photoanodes, initiating a genome for such materials and paving the way for a broadly applicable high-throughput-discovery and materials-by-design feedback loop. Considerably expanding the number of known photoelectrocatalysts for water oxidation, our study establishesmore » ternary metal vanadates as a prolific class of photoanodematerials for generation of chemical fuels from sunlight and demonstrates our high-throughput theory-experiment pipeline as a prolific approach to materials discovery.« less

BCI Competition IV – Data Set I: Learning Discriminative Patterns for Self-Paced EEG-Based Motor Imagery Detection

PubMed Central

Zhang, Haihong; Guan, Cuntai; Ang, Kai Keng; Wang, Chuanchu

2012-01-01

Detecting motor imagery activities versus non-control in brain signals is the basis of self-paced brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), but also poses a considerable challenge to signal processing due to the complex and non-stationary characteristics of motor imagery as well as non-control. This paper presents a self-paced BCI based on a robust learning mechanism that extracts and selects spatio-spectral features for differentiating multiple EEG classes. It also employs a non-linear regression and post-processing technique for predicting the time-series of class labels from the spatio-spectral features. The method was validated in the BCI Competition IV on Dataset I where it produced the lowest prediction error of class labels continuously. This report also presents and discusses analysis of the method using the competition data set. PMID:22347153

Mass spectrometry for the biophysical characterization of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies.

PubMed

Zhang, Hao; Cui, Weidong; Gross, Michael L

2014-01-21

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are powerful therapeutics, and their characterization has drawn considerable attention and urgency. Unlike small-molecule drugs (150-600 Da) that have rigid structures, mAbs (∼150 kDa) are engineered proteins that undergo complicated folding and can exist in a number of low-energy structures, posing a challenge for traditional methods in structural biology. Mass spectrometry (MS)-based biophysical characterization approaches can provide structural information, bringing high sensitivity, fast turnaround, and small sample consumption. This review outlines various MS-based strategies for protein biophysical characterization and then reviews how these strategies provide structural information of mAbs at the protein level (intact or top-down approaches), peptide, and residue level (bottom-up approaches), affording information on higher order structure, aggregation, and the nature of antibody complexes. Copyright © 2013 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An international review of laser Doppler vibrometry: Making light work of vibration measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rothberg, S. J.; Allen, M. S.; Castellini, P.; Di Maio, D.; Dirckx, J. J. J.; Ewins, D. J.; Halkon, B. J.; Muyshondt, P.; Paone, N.; Ryan, T.; Steger, H.; Tomasini, E. P.; Vanlanduit, S.; Vignola, J. F.

2017-12-01

In 1964, just a few years after the invention of the laser, a fluid velocity measurement based on the frequency shift of scattered light was made and the laser Doppler technique was born. This comprehensive review paper charts advances in the development and applications of laser Doppler vibrometry (LDV) since those first pioneering experiments. Consideration is first given to the challenges that continue to be posed by laser speckle. Scanning LDV is introduced and its significant influence in the field of experimental modal analysis described. Applications in structural health monitoring and MEMS serve to demonstrate LDV's applicability on structures of all sizes. Rotor vibrations and hearing are explored as examples of the classic applications. Applications in acoustics recognise the versatility of LDV as demonstrated by visualisation of sound fields. The paper concludes with thoughts on future developments, using examples of new multi-component and multi-channel instruments.

Solar fuels photoanode materials discovery by integrating high-throughput theory and experiment

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

Yan, Qimin; Yu, Jie; Suram, Santosh K.

The limited number of known low-band-gap photoelectrocatalytic materials poses a significant challenge for the generation of chemical fuels from sunlight. Here, using high-throughput ab initio theory with experiments in an integrated workflow, we find eight ternary vanadate oxide photoanodes in the target band-gap range (1.2-2.8 eV). Detailed analysis of these vanadate compounds reveals the key role of VO 4 structural motifs and electronic band-edge character in efficient photoanodes, initiating a genome for such materials and paving the way for a broadly applicable high-throughput-discovery and materials-by-design feedback loop. Considerably expanding the number of known photoelectrocatalysts for water oxidation, our study establishesmore » ternary metal vanadates as a prolific class of photoanodematerials for generation of chemical fuels from sunlight and demonstrates our high-throughput theory-experiment pipeline as a prolific approach to materials discovery.« less

Integrated Control Strategy of Schistosomiasis in The People's Republic of China: Projects Involving Agriculture, Water Conservancy, Forestry, Sanitation and Environmental Modification.

PubMed

Yang, Y; Zhou, Y-B; Song, X-X; Li, S-Z; Zhong, B; Wang, T-P; Bergquist, R; Zhou, X-N; Jiang, Q-W

2016-01-01

Among the three major schistosome species infecting human beings, Schistosoma japonicum is the only endemic species in The People's Republic of China. Schistosomiasis is endemic in 78 countries and regions and poses a severe threat to public health and socioeconomic development. Through more than 60years of hard work and endeavour, The People's Republic of China has made considerable achievements and reduced the morbidity and prevalence of this disease to the lowest level ever recorded, especially since the introduction of the new integrated control strategy in 2004. This review illustrates the strategies implemented by giving successful examples of schistosomiasis control from the different types of remaining endemic areas. The challenge to control or eliminate S. japonicum is analysed in order to provide useful information to policy makers and scientists. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Research University STEM Faculty Members' Motivation to Engage in Teaching Professional Development: Building the Choir Through an Appeal to Extrinsic Motivation and Ego

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bouwma-Gearhart, Jana

2012-10-01

This paper reports on a qualitative, grounded-theory-based study that explored the motivations of science and engineering faculty to engage in teaching professional development at a major research university. Faculty members were motivated to engage in teaching professional development due to extrinsic motivations, mainly a weakened professional ego, and sought to bring their teaching identities in better concordance with their researcher identities. The results pose a challenge to a body of research that has concluded that faculty must be intrinsically motivated to participate in teaching professional development. Results confirmed a pre-espoused theory of motivation, self-determination theory; a discussion of research literature consideration during grounded theory research is offered. A framework for motivating more faculty members at research universities to engage in teaching professional development is provided.

The Ethics of Biomedical Big Data : Brent Daniel Mittelstadt and Luciano Floridi, eds. 2016, Springer International Publishing (Cham, Switzerland, 978-3-319-33523-0, 480 pp.).

PubMed

Mason, Paul H

2017-12-01

The availability of diverse sources of data related to health and illness from various types of modern communication technology presents the possibility of augmenting medical knowledge, clinical care, and the patient experience. New forms of data collection and analysis will undoubtedly transform epidemiology, public health, and clinical practice, but what ethical considerations come in to play? With a view to analysing the ethical and regulatory dimensions of burgeoning forms of biomedical big data, Brent Daniel Mittelstadt and Luciano Floridi have brought together thirty scholars in an edited volume that forms part of Springer's Law, Governance and Technology book series in a collection titled The Ethics of Biomedical Big Data. With eighteen chapters partitioned into six carefully devised sections, this volume engages with core theoretical, ethical, and regulatory challenges posed by biomedical big data.

Attempted suicide by cop: a case study of traumatic brain injury and the insanity defense.

PubMed

Bresler, Scott; Scalora, Mario J; Elbogen, Eric B; Moore, Y Scott

2003-01-01

Over the years, there have been a number of well-publicized incidents involving persons who seemingly maneuver police officers into shooting them. Such cases, while relatively rare compared with most forms of violence, nevertheless pose difficult challenges to law enforcement agencies. Relatively little is known about persons who engage in suicide by cop incidents. To our knowledge, there has been no published indepth research on instigators of suicide by cop who survived. In this paper, we present a case study of an individual who engaged in and lived through three separate "attempted suicide by cop" incidents. After describing relevant history as well as events of the most recent incident, we compare the case with the extant literature on suicide by cop and analyze commonalities and differences. Finally, we examine the legal considerations involved, with particular attention devoted to the role the individual's traumatic brain injury played in applying the insanity defense.

Neurosurgical Issues in Pregnancy.

PubMed

Can, Anil; Du, Rose

2017-12-01

Although rare, intracranial hemorrhage due to rupture of cerebral vascular malformations or intracranial aneurysms during pregnancy is a potentially devastating and life-threatening disorder, posing a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to a multidisciplinary team of neurosurgeons, neurologists, obstetricians, and anesthesiologists. Despite the significant risk of morbidity and mortality affecting both the mother and the unborn child, knowledge of the natural history, epidemiology, and appropriate management of cerebral vascular malformations and intracranial aneurysms in pregnant women is limited. Although emergent neurosurgical concerns usually outweigh obstetric considerations, and treatment of these disorders is generally similar in pregnant and nonpregnant women, any necessary and feasible modifications to protect the unborn child should be made. This article reviews the management of ruptured intracranial aneurysms and cerebral vascular malformations, including arteriovenous malformations, cavernous malformations, and moyamoya disease, in women during pregnancy, partus, and puerperium. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Regulatory and clinical considerations for biosimilar oncology drugs

PubMed Central

Bennett, Charles L; Chen, Brian; Hermanson, Terhi; Wyatt, Michael D; Schulz, Richard M; Georgantopoulos, Peter; Kessler, Samuel; Raisch, Dennis W; Qureshi, Zaina P; Lu, Z Kevin; Love, Bryan L; Noxon, Virginia; Bobolts, Laura; Armitage, Melissa; Bian, John; Ray, Paul; Ablin, Richard J; Hrushesky, William J; Macdougall, Iain C; Sartor, Oliver; Armitage, James O

2015-01-01

Biological oncology products are integral to cancer treatment, but their high costs pose challenges to patients, families, providers, and insurers. The introduction of biosimilar agents—molecules that are similar in structure, function, activity, immunogenicity, and safety to the original biological drugs—provide opportunities both to improve healthcare access and outcomes, and to reduce costs. Several international regulatory pathways have been developed to expedite entry of biosimilars into global marketplaces. The first wave of oncology biosimilar use was in Europe and India in 2007. Oncology biosimilars are now widely marketed in several countries in Europe, and in Australia, Japan, China, Russia, India, and South Korea. Their use is emerging worldwide, with the notable exception of the USA, where several regulatory and cost barriers to biosimilar approval exist. In this Review, we discuss oncology biosimilars and summarise their regulatory frameworks, clinical experiences, and safety concerns. PMID:25456378

Semantic Framework of Internet of Things for Smart Cities: Case Studies.

PubMed

Zhang, Ningyu; Chen, Huajun; Chen, Xi; Chen, Jiaoyan

2016-09-14

In recent years, the advancement of sensor technology has led to the generation of heterogeneous Internet-of-Things (IoT) data by smart cities. Thus, the development and deployment of various aspects of IoT-based applications are necessary to mine the potential value of data to the benefit of people and their lives. However, the variety, volume, heterogeneity, and real-time nature of data obtained from smart cities pose considerable challenges. In this paper, we propose a semantic framework that integrates the IoT with machine learning for smart cities. The proposed framework retrieves and models urban data for certain kinds of IoT applications based on semantic and machine-learning technologies. Moreover, we propose two case studies: pollution detection from vehicles and traffic pattern detection. The experimental results show that our system is scalable and capable of accommodating a large number of urban regions with different types of IoT applications.

[Doctor, may I travel in space? Aeromedical considerations regarding commercial suborbital space flights].

PubMed

Haerkens, Marck H T M; Simons, Ries; Kuipers, André

2011-01-01

Within a few years, the first commercial operators will start flying passengers on suborbital flights to the verge of space. Medical data on the effects of space journeys on humans have mainly been provided by professional astronauts. There is very little research into the aeromedical consequences of suborbital flights for the health of untrained passengers. Low air pressure and oxygen tension can be compensated for by pressurising the spacecraft or pressure suit. Rapid changes in gravitational (G-)force pose ultimate challenges to cardiovascular adaptation mechanisms. Zero-gravity and G-force may cause motion sickness. Vibrations and noise during the flight may disturb communication between passengers and crew. In addition, the psychological impact of a suborbital flight should not be underestimated. There are currently no legal requirements available for medical examinations for commercial suborbital flights, but it seems justifiable to establish conditions for potential passengers' states of health.

Plague bacterium as a transformer species in prairie dogs and the grasslands of western North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eads, David A.; Biggins, Dean E.

2015-01-01

Invasive transformer species change the character, condition, form, or nature of ecosystems and deserve considerable attention from conservation scientists. We applied the transformer species concept to the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis in western North America, where the pathogen was introduced around 1900. Y. pestis transforms grassland ecosystems by severely depleting the abundance of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) and thereby causing declines in native species abundance and diversity, including threatened and endangered species; altering food web connections; altering the import and export of nutrients; causing a loss of ecosystem resilience to encroaching invasive plants; and modifying prairie dog burrows. Y. pestis poses an important challenge to conservation biologists because it causes trophic-level perturbations that affect the stability of ecosystems. Unfortunately, understanding of the effects of Y. pestis on ecosystems is rudimentary, highlighting an acute need for continued research.

Plague bacterium as a transformer species in prairie dogs and the grasslands of western North America.

PubMed

Eads, David A; Biggins, Dean E

2015-08-01

Invasive transformer species change the character, condition, form, or nature of ecosystems and deserve considerable attention from conservation scientists. We applied the transformer species concept to the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis in western North America, where the pathogen was introduced around 1900. Y. pestis transforms grassland ecosystems by severely depleting the abundance of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) and thereby causing declines in native species abundance and diversity, including threatened and endangered species; altering food web connections; altering the import and export of nutrients; causing a loss of ecosystem resilience to encroaching invasive plants; and modifying prairie dog burrows. Y. pestis poses an important challenge to conservation biologists because it causes trophic-level perturbations that affect the stability of ecosystems. Unfortunately, understanding of the effects of Y. pestis on ecosystems is rudimentary, highlighting an acute need for continued research. © 2015 Society for Conservation Biology.

An anthropological exploration of contemporary bioethics: the varieties of common sense.

PubMed Central

Turner, L

1998-01-01

Patients and physicians can inhabit distinctive social worlds where they are guided by diverse understandings of moral practice. Despite the contemporary presence of multiple moral traditions, religious communities and ethnic backgrounds, two of the major methodological approaches in bioethics, casuistry and principlism, rely upon the notion of a common morality. However, the heterogeneity of ethnic, moral, and religious traditions raises questions concerning the singularity of common sense. Indeed, it might be more appropriate to consider plural traditions of moral reasoning. This poses a considerable challenge for bioethicists because the existence of plural moral traditions can lead to difficulties regarding "closure" in moral reasoning. The topics of truth-telling, informed consent, euthanasia, and brain death and organ transplantation reveal the presence of different understandings of common sense. With regard to these subjects, plural accounts of "common sense" moral reasoning exist. PMID:9603001

Clinical guidelines for management of thyroid nodule and cancer during pregnancy.

PubMed

Galofré, Juan Carlos; Riesco-Eizaguirre, Garcilaso; Alvarez-Escolá, Cristina

2014-03-01

Special considerations are warranted in management of thyroid nodule and thyroid cancer during pregnancy. The diagnostic and therapeutic approach of thyroid nodules follows the standard practice in non-pregnant women. On the other hand, differentiated thyroid cancer management during pregnancy poses a number of challenges for the mother and fetus. The available data show that pregnancy is not a risk factor for thyroid cancer development or recurrence, although flare-ups cannot be completely ruled out in women with active disease. If surgery is needed, it should be performed during the second term or, preferably, after delivery. A majority of pregnant patients with low-risk disease only need adjustment in levothyroxine therapy. However, women with increased serum thyroglobulin levels before pregnancy or structural disease require regular thyroglobulin measurements and neck ultrasound throughout pregnancy. Pregnancy is an absolute contraindication for radioactive iodine administration. Copyright © 2013 SEEN. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Addressing the tobacco epidemic in the Philippines: progress since ratification of the WHO FCTC

PubMed Central

Antonio, M.; Limpin, M.; Alzona, L.; Trinidad, F.; Dorotheo, U.; Yapchiongco, R.; Garcia, R.; Anden, A.; Alday, J.

2013-01-01

Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death, and is estimated to kill more than 5 million persons each year worldwide. Tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke pose a major public health problem in the Philippines. Effective tobacco control policies are enshrined in the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), a legally binding international treaty that was ratified by the Philippines in 2005. Since 2007, Bloomberg Philanthropies has supported the accelerated reduction of tobacco use in many countries, including the Philippines. Progress in the Philippines is discussed with particular emphasis on the period since ratification of the WHO FCTC, and with particular focus on the grants programme funded by the Bloomberg Initiative. Despite considerable progress, significant challenges are identified that must be addressed in future if the social, health and economic burden from the tobacco epidemic is to be alleviated. PMID:26393010

Zika Virus: A Review of Management Considerations and Controversies at Six Months.

PubMed

Singer, Laura; Vest, Kelly G; Beadling, Charles W

2017-06-01

Zika virus continues to pose a significant global health threat. While the outbreak pattern may seemingly mirror those of other arboviruses, unique transmission characteristics and clinical outcomes warrant a different approach to traditional public health practices. Sexual transmission and virus-associated fetal and nonfetal neurologic disorders specifically challenge conventional methods of disease protection and prevention with regard to vector control, disease surveillance, and health risk communication. The protocols for outbreak and case limitation led by the World Health Organization (in accordance with Public Health Emergency of International Concern declaration) may be augmented by localized risk categorization and assignment for Zika and future emergent outbreaks. There is currently a great deal of "behind the scenes" discussion about modifications to the formal process described in the International Health Regulations. A scalable, adaptable, and flexible process is needed that can be customized to a specific threat. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:279-284).

Semantic Framework of Internet of Things for Smart Cities: Case Studies

PubMed Central

Zhang, Ningyu; Chen, Huajun; Chen, Xi; Chen, Jiaoyan

2016-01-01

In recent years, the advancement of sensor technology has led to the generation of heterogeneous Internet-of-Things (IoT) data by smart cities. Thus, the development and deployment of various aspects of IoT-based applications are necessary to mine the potential value of data to the benefit of people and their lives. However, the variety, volume, heterogeneity, and real-time nature of data obtained from smart cities pose considerable challenges. In this paper, we propose a semantic framework that integrates the IoT with machine learning for smart cities. The proposed framework retrieves and models urban data for certain kinds of IoT applications based on semantic and machine-learning technologies. Moreover, we propose two case studies: pollution detection from vehicles and traffic pattern detection. The experimental results show that our system is scalable and capable of accommodating a large number of urban regions with different types of IoT applications. PMID:27649185

The burden of mental disorders: a comparison of methods between the Australian burden of disease studies and the Global Burden of Disease study.

PubMed Central

Vos, T.; Mathers, C. D.

2000-01-01

The national and Victorian burden of disease studies in Australia set out to examine critically the methods used in the Global Burden of Disease study to estimate the burden of mental disorders. The main differences include the use of a different set of disability weights allowing estimates in greater detail by level of severity, adjustments for comorbidity between mental disorders, a greater number of mental disorders measured, and modelling of substance use disorders, anxiety disorders and bipolar disorder as chronic conditions. Uniform age-weighting in the Australian studies produces considerably lower estimates of the burden due to mental disorders in comparison with age-weighted disability-adjusted life years. A lack of follow-up data on people with mental disorders who are identified in cross-sectional surveys poses the greatest challenge in determining the burden of mental disorders more accurately. PMID:10885161

The Importance of Experimental Design, Quality Assurance, and Control in Plant Metabolomics Experiments.

PubMed

Martins, Marina C M; Caldana, Camila; Wolf, Lucia Daniela; de Abreu, Luis Guilherme Furlan

2018-01-01

The output of metabolomics relies to a great extent upon the methods and instrumentation to identify, quantify, and access spatial information on as many metabolites as possible. However, the most modern machines and sophisticated tools for data analysis cannot compensate for inappropriate harvesting and/or sample preparation procedures that modify metabolic composition and can lead to erroneous interpretation of results. In addition, plant metabolism has a remarkable degree of complexity, and the number of identified compounds easily surpasses the number of samples in metabolomics analyses, increasing false discovery risk. These aspects pose a large challenge when carrying out plant metabolomics experiments. In this chapter, we address the importance of a proper experimental design taking into consideration preventable complications and unavoidable factors to achieve success in metabolomics analysis. We also focus on quality control and standardized procedures during the metabolomics workflow.

Reducing the risks of delegation: use of procedure skills checklists for unlicensed assistive personnel in schools, Part 1.

PubMed

Shannon, Robin Adair; Kubelka, Suzanne

2013-07-01

School nurses are challenged by federal civil rights laws and the standards of school nursing practice to care for a burgeoning population of students with special health care needs. Due to the realities of current school nurse-to-student ratios, school nurses are frequently responsible for directing unlicensed assistive personnel (UAPs) to support the health and safety needs of students, where State Nurse Practice Acts, state legislation, and local policy mandates allow. The delegation of health care tasks to UAPs poses many professional, ethical, and legal dilemmas for school nurses. One strategy to reduce the risks of delegation is through the use of procedure skills checklists, as highlighted by the experience of one large urban school district. Part 1 of this two-part article will explore the scope of the problem and the principles of delegation, including legal and ethical considerations.

Heterogeneity among violence-exposed women: applying person-oriented research methods.

PubMed

Nurius, Paula S; Macy, Rebecca J

2008-03-01

Variability of experience and outcomes among violence-exposed people pose considerable challenges toward developing effective prevention and treatment protocols. To address these needs, the authors present an approach to research and a class of methodologies referred to as person oriented. Person-oriented tools support assessment of meaningful patterns among people that distinguish one group from another, subgroups for whom different interventions are indicated. The authors review the conceptual base of person-oriented methods, outline their distinction from more familiar variable-oriented methods, present descriptions of selected methods as well as empirical applications of person-oriented methods germane to violence exposure, and conclude with discussion of implications for future research and translation between research and practice. The authors focus on violence against women as a population, drawing on stress and coping theory as a theoretical framework. However, person-oriented methods hold utility for investigating diversity among violence-exposed people's experiences and needs across populations and theoretical foundations.

Case Report: Disseminated Talaromyces (Penicillium) marneffei and Mycobacterium tuberculosis Coinfection in a Japanese Patient with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome.

PubMed

Hatakeyama, Shuji; Yamashita, Takeshi; Sakai, Toshiyasu; Kamei, Katsuhiko

2017-07-01

Talaromyces marneffei is a dimorphic fungus endemic mainly in southeast and south Asia. It causes severe mycosis, usually in immunocompromised individuals, such as those with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Concomitant infection with T. marneffei and other opportunistic pathogens is plausible because the majority of T. marneffei infections occur in patients with advanced HIV infection. Nonetheless, coinfection in the same site has rarely been reported, and poses a considerable diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. We report the case of an HIV-infected Japanese patient who had lived in Thailand for 6 years. The patient developed T. marneffei and Mycobacterium tuberculosis coinfection, and both pathogens were isolated from the same sites: a blood specimen and a lymph node aspirate. Clinicians should be aware of concomitant infection with T. marneffei and other pathogens in patients with advanced HIV disease who are living in or who have visited endemic areas.

Mycotic Infections Acquired outside Areas of Known Endemicity, United States.

PubMed

Benedict, Kaitlin; Thompson, George R; Deresinski, Stan; Chiller, Tom

2015-11-01

In the United States, endemic mycoses--blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, and histoplasmosis--pose considerable clinical and public health challenges. Although the causative fungi typically exist within broadly defined geographic areas or ecologic niches, some evidence suggests that cases have occurred in humans and animals not exposed to these areas. We describe cases acquired outside regions of traditionally defined endemicity. These patients often have severe disease, but diagnosis may be delayed because of a low index of suspicion for mycotic disease, and many more cases probably go entirely undetected. Increased awareness of these diseases, with a specific focus on their potential occurrence in unusual areas, is needed. Continued interdisciplinary efforts to reevaluate and better describe areas of true endemicity are warranted, along with a more nuanced view of the notion of endemicity. The term "nonendemic" should be used with care; mycoses in such regions might more accurately be considered "not known to be endemic."

Mycotic Infections Acquired outside Areas of Known Endemicity, United States

PubMed Central

Thompson, George R.; Deresinski, Stan; Chiller, Tom

2015-01-01

In the United States, endemic mycoses—blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, and histoplasmosis—pose considerable clinical and public health challenges. Although the causative fungi typically exist within broadly defined geographic areas or ecologic niches, some evidence suggests that cases have occurred in humans and animals not exposed to these areas. We describe cases acquired outside regions of traditionally defined endemicity. These patients often have severe disease, but diagnosis may be delayed because of a low index of suspicion for mycotic disease, and many more cases probably go entirely undetected. Increased awareness of these diseases, with a specific focus on their potential occurrence in unusual areas, is needed. Continued interdisciplinary efforts to reevaluate and better describe areas of true endemicity are warranted, along with a more nuanced view of the notion of endemicity. The term “nonendemic” should be used with care; mycoses in such regions might more accurately be considered “not known to be endemic.” PMID:26485441

Royal ruptures: Caroline of Ansbach and the politics of illness in the 1730s.

PubMed

Jones, Emrys D

2011-06-01

Caroline of Ansbach, wife of George II, occupied a crucial position in the public life of early 18th-century Britain. She was seen to exert considerable influence on the politics of the court and, as mother to the Hanoverian dynasty's next generation, she became an important emblem for the nation's political well-being. This paper examines how such emblematic significance was challenged and qualified when Caroline's body could no longer be portrayed as healthy and life giving. Using private memoirs and correspondence from the time of her death in 1737, the paper explores the metaphorical potential of the queen's strangulated hernia, as well as the particular problems it posed for the public image of her dynasty. Through these investigations, the paper will comment upon the haphazard nature of public discussion in the early 18th century, and reveal the complex relationship between political speculation and medical diagnosis.

X-57 Power and Command System Design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clarke, Sean; Redifer, Matthew; Papathakis, Kurt; Samuel, Aamod; Foster, Trevor

2017-01-01

This paper describes the power and command system architecture of the X-57 Maxwell flight demonstrator aircraft. The X-57 is an experimental aircraft designed to demonstrate radically improved aircraft efficiency with a 3.5 times aero-propulsive efficiency gain at a "high-speed cruise" flight condition for comparable general aviation aircraft. These gains are enabled by integrating the design of a new, optimized wing and a new electric propulsion system. As a result, the X-57 vehicle takes advantage of the new capabilities afforded by electric motors as primary propulsors. Integrating new technologies into critical systems in experimental aircraft poses unique challenges that require careful design considerations across the entire vehicle system, such as qualification of new propulsors (motors, in the case of the X-57 aircraft), compatibility of existing systems with a new electric power distribution bus, and instrumentation and monitoring of newly qualified propulsion system devices.

Recent progress on biomass co-pyrolysis conversion into high-quality bio-oil.

PubMed

Hassan, H; Lim, J K; Hameed, B H

2016-12-01

Co-pyrolysis of biomass with abundantly available materials could be an economical method for production of bio-fuels. However, elimination of oxygenated compounds poses a considerable challenge. Catalytic co-pyrolysis is another potential technique for upgrading bio-oils for application as liquid fuels in standard engines. This technique promotes the production of high-quality bio-oil through acid catalyzed reduction of oxygenated compounds and mutagenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons. This work aims to review and summarize research progress on co-pyrolysis and catalytic co-pyrolysis, as well as their benefits on enhancement of bio-oils derived from biomass. This review focuses on the potential of plastic wastes and coal materials as co-feed in co-pyrolysis to produce valuable liquid fuel. This paper also proposes future directions for using this technique to obtain high yields of bio-oils. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Some problems of the theory of gravitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verozub, Leonid

Leonid Verozub, lverozub@gmail.com Kharkov National University, Kharkov, Ukraine The contemporary observations pose serious challenges to the fundamental physics and astro-physics. We proceed from the equations of gravitation, based on an examination of foundations of the theory. (Ann. Phys. (Leipzig) 17, No. 1, 28 -51 (2008)). Namely, these equations are based on going back to Poincare's ideas about the relativity of geometry of space and time to the properties of measuring instruments, and on the consideration of the geodesic invariance as gauge invariance in the theory of gravitation. These equations do not contradict the observa-tional data, however, lead to two unexpected consequences, which allow you to test the theory: 1. They predict the existence of super-massive compact objects without event horizons, which are an alternative to black holes in the centers of galaxies. 2. They provide a simple and natural explanation for the accelerating expansion of the universe.

Exploring the stability of ligand binding modes to proteins by molecular dynamics simulations.

PubMed

Liu, Kai; Watanabe, Etsurou; Kokubo, Hironori

2017-02-01

The binding mode prediction is of great importance to structure-based drug design. The discrimination of various binding poses of ligand generated by docking is a great challenge not only to docking score functions but also to the relatively expensive free energy calculation methods. Here we systematically analyzed the stability of various ligand poses under molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. First, a data set of 120 complexes was built based on the typical physicochemical properties of drug-like ligands. Three potential binding poses (one correct pose and two decoys) were selected for each ligand from self-docking in addition to the experimental pose. Then, five independent MD simulations for each pose were performed with different initial velocities for the statistical analysis. Finally, the stabilities of ligand poses under MD were evaluated and compared with the native one from crystal structure. We found that about 94% of the native poses were maintained stable during the simulations, which suggests that MD simulations are accurate enough to judge most experimental binding poses as stable properly. Interestingly, incorrect decoy poses were maintained much less and 38-44% of decoys could be excluded just by performing equilibrium MD simulations, though 56-62% of decoys were stable. The computationally-heavy binding free energy calculation can be performed only for these survived poses.

Autonomous Vision-Based Tethered-Assisted Rover Docking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsai, Dorian; Nesnas, Issa A.D.; Zarzhitsky, Dimitri

2013-01-01

Many intriguing science discoveries on planetary surfaces, such as the seasonal flows on crater walls and skylight entrances to lava tubes, are at sites that are currently inaccessible to state-of-the-art rovers. The in situ exploration of such sites is likely to require a tethered platform both for mechanical support and for providing power and communication. Mother/daughter architectures have been investigated where a mother deploys a tethered daughter into extreme terrains. Deploying and retracting a tethered daughter requires undocking and re-docking of the daughter to the mother, with the latter being the challenging part. In this paper, we describe a vision-based tether-assisted algorithm for the autonomous re-docking of a daughter to its mother following an extreme terrain excursion. The algorithm uses fiducials mounted on the mother to improve the reliability and accuracy of estimating the pose of the mother relative to the daughter. The tether that is anchored by the mother helps the docking process and increases the system's tolerance to pose uncertainties by mechanically aligning the mating parts in the final docking phase. A preliminary version of the algorithm was developed and field-tested on the Axel rover in the JPL Mars Yard. The algorithm achieved an 80% success rate in 40 experiments in both firm and loose soils and starting from up to 6 m away at up to 40 deg radial angle and 20 deg relative heading. The algorithm does not rely on an initial estimate of the relative pose. The preliminary results are promising and help retire the risk associated with the autonomous docking process enabling consideration in future martian and lunar missions.

NASA Space Rocket Logistics Challenges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bramon, Chris; Neeley, James R.; Jones, James V.; Watson, Michael D.; Inman, Sharon K.; Tuttle, Loraine

2014-01-01

The Space Launch System (SLS) is the new NASA heavy lift launch vehicle in development and is scheduled for its first mission in 2017. SLS has many of the same logistics challenges as any other large scale program. However, SLS also faces unique challenges. This presentation will address the SLS challenges, along with the analysis and decisions to mitigate the threats posed by each.

The Role of Perceptual Similarity, Context, and Situation When Selecting Attributes: Considerations Made by 5-6-Year-Olds in Data Modeling Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leavy, Aisling; Hourigan, Mairead

2018-01-01

Classroom data modeling involves posing questions, identifying attributes of phenomena, measuring and structuring these attributes, and then composing, revising, and communicating the outcomes. Selecting attributes is a fundamental component of data modeling, and the considerations made when selecting attributes is the focus of this paper. A…

Communicating about smoke from wildland fire: challenges and ways to address them

Treesearch

Christine S. Olsen; Danielle K. Mazzotta; Eric Toman; A. Paige Fischer

2014-01-01

Wildland fire and associated management efforts are dominant topics in natural resource fields. Smoke from fires can be a nuisance and pose serious health risks and aggravate pre-existing health conditions. When it results in reduced visibility near roadways, smoke can also pose hazardous driving conditions and reduce the scenic value of vistas. Communicating about...

Tracking the Careers of Graduates: A New Agenda for Graduate Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Debra W.

2013-01-01

As candidates in the 2012 election debated issues raised by the state of the US economy, unemployment statistics and job creation took center stage. The problems under discussion posed (and continue to pose) a particularly clear and pressing challenge to the nation's graduate schools. While the US enjoys a reputation for having the most dynamic…

A Problem Posing-Based Practicing Strategy for Facilitating Students' Computer Programming Skills in the Team-Based Learning Mode

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Xiao-Ming; Hwang, Gwo-Jen

2017-01-01

Computer programming is a subject that requires problem-solving strategies and involves a great number of programming logic activities which pose challenges for learners. Therefore, providing learning support and guidance is important. Collaborative learning is widely believed to be an effective teaching approach; it can enhance learners' social…

Binding pose and affinity prediction in the 2016 D3R Grand Challenge 2 using the Wilma-SIE method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogues, Hervé; Sulea, Traian; Gaudreault, Francis; Corbeil, Christopher R.; Purisima, Enrico O.

2018-01-01

The Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) exhibits significant backbone movement in response to the binding of various ligands and can be a challenge for pose prediction algorithms. As part of the D3R Grand Challenge 2, we tested Wilma-SIE, a rigid-protein docking method, on a set of 36 FXR ligands for which the crystal structures had originally been blinded. These ligands covered several classes of compounds. To overcome the rigid protein limitations of the method, we used an ensemble of publicly available structures for FXR from the PDB. The use of the ensemble allowed Wilma-SIE to predict poses with average and median RMSDs of 2.3 and 1.4 Å, respectively. It was quite clear, however, that had we used a single structure for the receptor the success rate would have been much lower. The most successful predictions were obtained on chemical classes for which one or more crystal structures of the receptor bound to a molecule of the same class was available. In the absence of a crystal structure for the class, observing a consensus binding mode for the ligands of the class using one or more receptor structures of other classes seemed to be indicative of a reasonable pose prediction. Affinity prediction proved to be more challenging with generally poor correlation with experimental IC50s (Kendall tau 0.3). Even when the 36 crystal structures were used the accuracy of the predicted affinities was not appreciably improved. A possible cause of difficulty is the internal energy strain arising from conformational differences in the receptor across complexes, which may need to be properly estimated and incorporated into the SIE scoring function.

Incorporating Qualitative Evidence in Systematic Reviews: Strategies and Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caracelli, Valerie J.; Cooksy, Leslie J.

2013-01-01

The quality of mixed methods systematic reviews relies on the quality of primary-level studies. The synthesis of qualitative evidence and the recent development of synthesizing mixed methods studies hold promise, but also pose challenges to evidence synthesis.

Variation in Transpiration Efficiency in Sorghum

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Declining freshwater resources, increasing population, and growing demand for biofuels pose new challenges for agriculture research. To meet these challenges, the concept "Blue Revolution" (more crop per drop) was proposed to improve water productivity in agriculture. We have identified several so...

The Challenge of Teacher Retention in Urban Schools: Evidence of Variation from a Cross-Site Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papay, John P.; Bacher-Hicks, Andrew; Page, Lindsay C.; Marinell, William H.

2017-01-01

Substantial teacher turnover poses a challenge to staffing public schools with effective teachers. The scope of the teacher retention challenge across school districts, however, remains poorly defined. Applying consistent data practices and analytical techniques to administrative data sets from 16 urban districts, we document substantial…

The Enduring Challenges in Public Management: Surviving and Excelling in a Changing World.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halachmi, Arie, Ed.; Bouckaert, Geert, Ed.

This book addresses in different ways the prospect of improving the performance of government and nonprofit organizations. The chapters are clustered around enduring management challenges that may influence productivity in the public sector. Fifteen chapters discuss the challenges to productivity posed by immediate and distant changes in the…

Influenza Vaccines: Challenges and Solutions

PubMed Central

Houser, Katherine; Subbarao, Kanta

2015-01-01

Vaccination is the best method for the prevention and control of influenza. Vaccination can reduce illness and lessen severity of infection. This review focuses on how currently licensed influenza vaccines are generated in the U.S., why the biology of influenza poses vaccine challenges, and vaccine approaches on the horizon that address these challenges. PMID:25766291

A study on facial expressions recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Jingjing

2017-09-01

In terms of communication, postures and facial expressions of such feelings like happiness, anger and sadness play important roles in conveying information. With the development of the technology, recently a number of algorithms dealing with face alignment, face landmark detection, classification, facial landmark localization and pose estimation have been put forward. However, there are a lot of challenges and problems need to be fixed. In this paper, a few technologies have been concluded and analyzed, and they all relate to handling facial expressions recognition and poses like pose-indexed based multi-view method for face alignment, robust facial landmark detection under significant head pose and occlusion, partitioning the input domain for classification, robust statistics face formalization.

Human pose tracking from monocular video by traversing an image motion mapped body pose manifold

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu, Saurav; Poulin, Joshua; Acton, Scott T.

2010-01-01

Tracking human pose from monocular video sequences is a challenging problem due to the large number of independent parameters affecting image appearance and nonlinear relationships between generating parameters and the resultant images. Unlike the current practice of fitting interpolation functions to point correspondences between underlying pose parameters and image appearance, we exploit the relationship between pose parameters and image motion flow vectors in a physically meaningful way. Change in image appearance due to pose change is realized as navigating a low dimensional submanifold of the infinite dimensional Lie group of diffeomorphisms of the two dimensional sphere S2. For small changes in pose, image motion flow vectors lie on the tangent space of the submanifold. Any observed image motion flow vector field is decomposed into the basis motion vector flow fields on the tangent space and combination weights are used to update corresponding pose changes in the different dimensions of the pose parameter space. Image motion flow vectors are largely invariant to style changes in experiments with synthetic and real data where the subjects exhibit variation in appearance and clothing. The experiments demonstrate the robustness of our method (within +/-4° of ground truth) to style variance.

Differing levels of clinical evidence: exploring communication challenges in shared decision making. Introduction.

PubMed

Smith, Quentin W; Street, Richard L; Volk, Robert J; Fordis, Michael

2013-02-01

The near ubiquitous access to information is transforming the roles and relationships among clinical professionals, patients, and their care givers in nearly all aspects of healthcare. Informed patients engage their physicians in conversations about their conditions, options and the tradeoffs among diagnostic and therapeutic benefits and harms. The processes of care today increasingly and explicitly integrate exploration of patient values and preferences as patients and clinicians jointly engage in reaching decisions about care. The informed patient of today who can understand and use scientific information can participate as an equal partner with her clinician. Others with beliefs or educational, cultural, or literacy backgrounds that pose challenges to comprehending and applying evidence may face disenfranchisement. These barriers are significant enough, even in the face of certainty of evidence, that clinicians and investigators have given much thought to how best to engage all patients in decision making. However, barriers remain, as most decision making must occur in settings where uncertainty, if not considerable uncertainty, accompanies any statement of what we know. In September 2011, health care and health communication experts came together in Rockville, Maryland under the auspices of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) John M. Eisenberg Center for Clinical Decisions and Communications Science Annual Meeting to explore the challenges of differing levels of evidence in promoting shared decisions and to propose strategies for going forward in addressing these challenges. Eight scholarly papers emerged, and with this introductory article, comprise this special issue of Medical Care Research and Review.

System-on-Chip Considerations for Heterogeneous Integration of CMOS and Fluidic Bio-Interfaces.

PubMed

Datta-Chaudhuri, Timir; Smela, Elisabeth; Abshire, Pamela A

2016-12-01

CMOS chips are increasingly used for direct sensing and interfacing with fluidic and biological systems. While many biosensing systems have successfully combined CMOS chips for readout and signal processing with passive sensing arrays, systems that co-locate sensing with active circuits on a single chip offer significant advantages in size and performance but increase the complexity of multi-domain design and heterogeneous integration. This emerging class of lab-on-CMOS systems also poses distinct and vexing technical challenges that arise from the disparate requirements of biosensors and integrated circuits (ICs). Modeling these systems must address not only circuit design, but also the behavior of biological components on the surface of the IC and any physical structures. Existing tools do not support the cross-domain simulation of heterogeneous lab-on-CMOS systems, so we recommend a two-step modeling approach: using circuit simulation to inform physics-based simulation, and vice versa. We review the primary lab-on-CMOS implementation challenges and discuss practical approaches to overcome them. Issues include new versions of classical challenges in system-on-chip integration, such as thermal effects, floor-planning, and signal coupling, as well as new challenges that are specifically attributable to biological and fluidic domains, such as electrochemical effects, non-standard packaging, surface treatments, sterilization, microfabrication of surface structures, and microfluidic integration. We describe these concerns as they arise in lab-on-CMOS systems and discuss solutions that have been experimentally demonstrated.

Economic aspects of infertility care: a challenge for researchers and clinicians.

PubMed

2015-10-01

Infertility care has improved remarkably over the last few decades and has received growing attention from health care providers. Several treatments, including expensive options such as Assisted Reproductive Techniques, are now widely available for routine clinical use. In most cases, adoption of these treatments has occurred without robust cost-effective analyses. IVF for unexplained infertility and ICSI in the absence of semen abnormalities are two examples of this gradual technology creep. More in-depth economic analyses in the field of infertility are undoubtedly warranted. However, performing these analyses is challenging because infertility care poses a number of unique challenges. Studies of cost-effectiveness are open to criticism because there is a lack of consensus about the outcomes of choice and the appropriate perspective. The use of quality adjusted life years (QALYs) to allow comparisons with other clinical conditions is also controversial because the value associated with infertility care cannot be easily captured in QALYs. Moreover, their use triggers the crucial question of whose QALYs merit consideration-an individual's, a couple's or a child's. In conclusion, economic analysis in infertility represents a peculiar but crucial challenge. If management of infertility is to become an integral part of publicly or privately funded health care systems worldwide, better quality data and a shared vision about the costs and benefits of infertility treatments are needed. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Surgery Considerations for Adults and Children

MedlinePlus

... may be posed by complicating factors such as dental problems (skeletal fragility makes dentitia prone to fracture), cleft palate, joint stiffness or heart valve disease. Anesthesia personnel also need to be aware of ...

Profiling undergraduates' generic learning skills on entry to medical school; an international study.

PubMed

Murdoch-Eaton, D; Manning, D; Kwizera, E; Burch, V; Pell, G; Whittle, S

2012-01-01

Medical education faces challenges posed by widening access to training, a demand for globally competent healthcare workers and progress towards harmonisation of standards. To explore potential challenges arising from variation in diversity and educational background of medical school entrants. This study investigated the reported experience and confidence, in a range of 31 generic skills underpinning learning, of 2606 medical undergraduates entering 14 medical schools in England and South Africa, using a validated questionnaire. Responses suggest that there is considerable similarity in prior educational experience and confidence skills profiles on entry to South African and English medical schools. South African entrants reported significantly more experience in 'Technical skills', 'Managing their own Learning', and 'Presentation', while English students reported increased experience in 'IT' skills. South African undergraduates reported more confidence in 'Information Handling', while English students were more confident in 'IT' skills. The most noticeable difference, in 'IT' skills, is probably due to documented differences in access to computer facilities at high school level. Differences between individual schools within each country are noticeable. Educators need to acquire a good understanding of their incoming cohorts, and ensure necessary tailored support for skills development.

On the road to science education for sustainability?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albe, Virginie

2013-03-01

In this paper I discuss three issues relevant to the ideas introduced by Colucci-Gray, Perazzone, Dodman and Camino (2012) in their three-part paper on epistemological reflections and educational practice for science education for sustainability: (1) social studies of science for science education, (2) education for sustainability or sustainable development, and (3) curriculum studies and action-research. For the first issue, I address the need for science education efforts dedicated to an epistemological renewal to take seriously into consideration the contributions of the social studies of science. This perspective may be fruitful for an education for sustainability that also requires one to consider the political dimension of environmental issues and their intrinsic power relationships. It also encourages the abandonment of dichotomies that hamper democratic participation: experts/lay people, science/society, scientific knowledge/values, etc. For the second issue, my commentary focuses on the challenges that education for sustainability or sustainable development pose to science education with a shift from subject matter contents to socio-educative aims and socio-political actions. These challenges lead to the third issue with an invitation to apprehend science education for sustainability within the frameworks of curriculum theory and design-based research.

Management of Concurrent Pregnancy and Acute Lymphoblastic Malignancy in Teenaged Patients: Two Illustrative Cases and Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

Johnson, Liza-Marie; Church, Christopher L.; Gomez-Garcia, Wendy C.; Popescu, Marcela I.; Margolin, Judith F.; Ribeiro, Raul C.

2014-01-01

The usual age range of acute lymphoblastic malignancies (acute lymphoblastic leukemia and advanced-stage lymphoblastic lymphoma) includes teenagers and young adults (<22 years of age) and coincides with the age of fertility. Concurrence of acute lymphoblastic malignancy with pregnancy is therefore most likely to happen during the younger childbearing ages. However, the therapeutic challenges posed by the dual diagnosis of lymphoblastic malignancy and pregnancy have not specifically been studied in the context of age, and management guidelines for pregnant young patients are lacking. Inconsistency in defining the legal decision-making rights of pregnant teenaged patients adds a further level of complexity in this age group. Management of this challenging combination in the young patient therefore entails unique ethical considerations. Here we present two illustrative cases of teenage pregnancy complicated by acute lymphoblastic malignancy, review the available literature, and offer suggestions for the therapeutic management of such cases in adolescent and young adult patients. Importantly, practical management recommendations are provided in the context of clinical ethics principles that are universally applicable, including in developing countries, where the highest incidence of adolescent pregnancies has been documented. PMID:25538861

Uncorrected refractive errors.

PubMed

Naidoo, Kovin S; Jaggernath, Jyoti

2012-01-01

Global estimates indicate that more than 2.3 billion people in the world suffer from poor vision due to refractive error; of which 670 million people are considered visually impaired because they do not have access to corrective treatment. Refractive errors, if uncorrected, results in an impaired quality of life for millions of people worldwide, irrespective of their age, sex and ethnicity. Over the past decade, a series of studies using a survey methodology, referred to as Refractive Error Study in Children (RESC), were performed in populations with different ethnic origins and cultural settings. These studies confirmed that the prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors is considerably high for children in low-and-middle-income countries. Furthermore, uncorrected refractive error has been noted to have extensive social and economic impacts, such as limiting educational and employment opportunities of economically active persons, healthy individuals and communities. The key public health challenges presented by uncorrected refractive errors, the leading cause of vision impairment across the world, require urgent attention. To address these issues, it is critical to focus on the development of human resources and sustainable methods of service delivery. This paper discusses three core pillars to addressing the challenges posed by uncorrected refractive errors: Human Resource (HR) Development, Service Development and Social Entrepreneurship.

Models of initial training and pathways to registration: a selective review of policy in professional regulation.

PubMed

Fealy, Gerard M; Carney, Marie; Drennan, Jonathan; Treacy, Margaret; Burke, Jacqueline; O'Connell, Dympna; Howley, Breeda; Clancy, Alison; McHugh, Aine; Patton, Declan; Sheerin, Fintan

2009-09-01

To provide a synthesis of literature on international policy concerning professional regulation in nursing and midwifery, with reference to routes of entry into training and pathways to licensure. Internationally, there is evidence of multiple points of entry into initial training, multiple divisions of the professional register and multiple pathways to licensure. Policy documents and commentary articles concerned with models of initial training and pathways to licensure were reviewed. Item selection, quality appraisal and data extraction were undertaken and documentary analysis was performed on all retrieved texts. Case studies of five Western countries indicate no single uniform system of routes of entry into initial training and no overall consensus regarding the optimal model of initial training. Multiple regulatory systems, with multiple routes of entry into initial training and multiple pathways to licensure pose challenges, in terms of achieving commonly-agreed understandings of practice competence. The variety of models of initial training present nursing managers with challenges in the recruitment and deployment of personnel trained in many different jurisdictions. Nursing managers need to consider the potential for considerable variation in competency repertoires among nurses trained in generic and specialist initial training models.

Methamphetamine-associated psychosis: a new health challenge in Iran

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

The rapidly growing popularity of methamphetamine use in Iran has posed a new health challenge to the Iranian health sector. Methamphetamine-associated psychosis (MAP) has been frequently reported in Iran in recent years. Although methamphetamine use and MAP are considerable health problems in Iran but there is still a need to conduct epidemiological studies on the prevalence of MAP and its health-related problems. The present paper emphasizes that health policy makers should consider the immediate needs of drug users, their families and the community to be informed about the detrimental health effects associated with MAP. Although MAP could be managed by prescribing benzodiazepines and psychiatric medications but the most effective regime for stabilizing patients with MAP still needs to be studied in Iran. Constant collaborations among psychiatric services and outpatient psychotherapeutic services should be established to successfully manage MAP in Iran. Iranian clinicians especially emergency medicine specialists should be informed about the differences between the two forms of transient and recurrent MAP in order to implement appropriate pharmacological therapies to manage MAP. It is hoped that special training courses are designed and implemented by health policy makers to inform clinicians, health providers and especially emergency medicine specialists to effectively deal with MAP. PMID:23577655

Xenotransplantation-theological-ethical considerations in an interdisciplinary symposium.

PubMed

Sautermeister, Jochen; Mathieu, Richard; Bogner, Veronika

2015-01-01

Unlike allotransplantation, reflections on xenotransplantation are infrequent in theological literature. However, xenotransplantation poses questions specifically concerning ethical and theological aspects that are imperative to address, such as personal identity between the poles of body, soul, and mind, the relationship between humans and animals, as well as challenges regarding specific issues of medical and social ethics. This study summarizes the lectures of the symposium on "Xenotransplantation-a challenge to theological ethics," which took place in Munich from September 30 until October 2, 2013, and analyses the implications of xenotransplantation from the perspectives of Christian theological ethics, biblical theology, and systematic theology. Furthermore, the issue of xenotransplantation is addressed from the perspectives of Judaism and Islam. Beyond these theological deliberations, the metaphorical and religious meaning of the human heart, which may have an impact on the societal acceptability of xenotransplantation, as well as the Christian notion of compassion regarding animals, is analyzed from the perspective of historical sciences. According to the perspectives of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, there are no specifically religious fundamental and generally binding reasons to prohibit xenotransplantation as a means of treating grave and life-threatening organ insufficiencies. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Orientation and metacognition in virtual space.

PubMed

Tenbrink, Thora; Salwiczek, Lucie H

2016-05-01

Cognitive scientists increasingly use virtual reality scenarios to address spatial perception, orientation, and navigation. If based on desktops rather than mobile immersive environments, this involves a discrepancy between the physically experienced static position and the visually perceived dynamic scene, leading to cognitive challenges that users of virtual worlds may or may not be aware of. The frequently reported loss of orientation and worse performance in point-to-origin tasks relate to the difficulty of establishing a consistent reference system on an allocentric or egocentric basis. We address the verbalizability of spatial concepts relevant in this regard, along with the conscious strategies reported by participants. Behavioral and verbal data were collected using a perceptually sparse virtual tunnel scenario that has frequently been used to differentiate between humans' preferred reference systems. Surprisingly, the linguistic data we collected relate to reference system verbalizations known from the earlier literature only to a limited extent, but instead reveal complex cognitive mechanisms and strategies. Orientation in desktop virtual reality appears to pose considerable challenges, which participants react to by conceptualizing the task in individual ways that do not systematically relate to the generic concepts of egocentric and allocentric reference frames. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

DEVELOPMENT OF OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS FOR ADVANCED SMRs: THE ROLE OF COGNITIVE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

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

Jacques Hugo; David Gertman

Advanced small modular reactors (AdvSMRs) will use advanced digital instrumentation and control systems, and make greater use of automation. These advances not only pose technical and operational challenges, but will inevitably have an effect on the operating and maintenance (O&M) cost of new plants. However, there is much uncertainty about the impact of AdvSMR designs on operational and human factors considerations, such as workload, situation awareness, human reliability, staffing levels, and the appropriate allocation of functions between the crew and various automated plant systems. Existing human factors and systems engineering design standards and methodologies are not current in terms ofmore » human interaction requirements for dynamic automated systems and are no longer suitable for the analysis of evolving operational concepts. New models and guidance for operational concepts for complex socio-technical systems need to adopt a state-of-the-art approach such as Cognitive Systems Engineering (CSE) that gives due consideration to the role of personnel. This approach we report on helps to identify and evaluate human challenges related to non-traditional concepts of operations. A framework - defining operational strategies was developed based on the operational analysis of Argonne National Laboratory’s Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II), a small (20MWe) sodium-cooled reactor that was successfully operated for thirty years. Insights from the application of the systematic application of the methodology and its utility are reviewed and arguments for the formal adoption of CSE as a value-added part of the Systems Engineering process are presented.« less

RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES FOR AN EXPOSURE MEASUREMENT STUDY OF PRESCHOOL CHILDREN

EPA Science Inventory

Recruiting study participants is always a challenge for researchers. It poses an even bigger challenge for researchers to recruit participants for a study involving intrusive, burdensome data collection activities. A study of preschool children's exposure to persistent organic ...

Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Web Academy Webinar: Management Challenges for Lithium Batteries at Electronics Recyclers

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This is a webinar page for the Sustainable Management of Materials (SMM) Web Academy webinar titled, An Introduction to Lithium Batteries and the Challenges that they Pose to the Waste and Recycling Industry.

“You’re dealing with an emotionally charged individual…”: an industry perspective on the challenges posed by medical tourists’ informal caregiver-companions

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Patients engage in medical tourism when they privately obtain a medical care abroad. Previous research shows that many medical tourists travel abroad with friends and family members who provide support and assistance. Meanwhile, very little is known about this important stakeholder group, referred to here as caregiver-companions. In this article we examine the challenges that can be posed by caregiver-companions and the overall practice of informal caregiving in medical tourism from an industry perspective. Specifically, we report on the findings of interviews conducted with international patient coordinators (IPCs) who work at destination facilities. IPCs come into regular contact with caregiver-companions in their professional positions and thus are ideally suited to comment on trends they have observed among this stakeholder group as well as the challenges they can pose to medical tourists, health workers, and facilities. Methods We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with 21 IPCs from 16 different facilities across nine countries. Topics probed in the interviews included caregiver-companion roles, IPCs’ and others’ interaction with caregiver-companions, and potential health and safety risks posed to medical tourists and caregiver-companions. Thematic analysis of the verbatim transcripts was employed. Results Although most participants encouraged medical tourists to travel with a caregiver-companion, many challenges associated with caregiver-companions were identified. Three themes best characterize the challenges that emerged: (1) caregiver-companions require time, attention and resources; (2) caregiver-companions can disrupt the provision of quality care; and (3) caregiver-companions can be exposed to risks. IPCs pointed out that caregiver-companions may, for example, have a negative impact on the patient through cost of accompaniment or inadequate care provision. Caregiver-companions may also create unanticipated or extra work for IPCs, as additional clients and by ignoring established organizational rules, routines, and expectations. Furthermore, caregiver-companions may be susceptible to stresses and health and safety risks, which would further deteriorate their own abilities to offer the patient quality care. Conclusions Although caregiver-companions can pose challenges to medical tourists, health workers, and medical tourism facilities, they can also assist in enhancing best care and offering meaningful support to medical tourists. If caregiver-companions are open to collaboration with IPCs, and particularly in the form of information sharing, then their experience abroad can be safer and less stressful for themselves and, by extension, for the accompanied patients and facility staff. PMID:23889860

"You're dealing with an emotionally charged individual...": an industry perspective on the challenges posed by medical tourists' informal caregiver-companions.

PubMed

Casey, Victoria; Crooks, Valorie A; Snyder, Jeremy; Turner, Leigh

2013-07-26

Patients engage in medical tourism when they privately obtain a medical care abroad. Previous research shows that many medical tourists travel abroad with friends and family members who provide support and assistance. Meanwhile, very little is known about this important stakeholder group, referred to here as caregiver-companions. In this article we examine the challenges that can be posed by caregiver-companions and the overall practice of informal caregiving in medical tourism from an industry perspective. Specifically, we report on the findings of interviews conducted with international patient coordinators (IPCs) who work at destination facilities. IPCs come into regular contact with caregiver-companions in their professional positions and thus are ideally suited to comment on trends they have observed among this stakeholder group as well as the challenges they can pose to medical tourists, health workers, and facilities. We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with 21 IPCs from 16 different facilities across nine countries. Topics probed in the interviews included caregiver-companion roles, IPCs' and others' interaction with caregiver-companions, and potential health and safety risks posed to medical tourists and caregiver-companions. Thematic analysis of the verbatim transcripts was employed. Although most participants encouraged medical tourists to travel with a caregiver-companion, many challenges associated with caregiver-companions were identified. Three themes best characterize the challenges that emerged: (1) caregiver-companions require time, attention and resources; (2) caregiver-companions can disrupt the provision of quality care; and (3) caregiver-companions can be exposed to risks. IPCs pointed out that caregiver-companions may, for example, have a negative impact on the patient through cost of accompaniment or inadequate care provision. Caregiver-companions may also create unanticipated or extra work for IPCs, as additional clients and by ignoring established organizational rules, routines, and expectations. Furthermore, caregiver-companions may be susceptible to stresses and health and safety risks, which would further deteriorate their own abilities to offer the patient quality care. Although caregiver-companions can pose challenges to medical tourists, health workers, and medical tourism facilities, they can also assist in enhancing best care and offering meaningful support to medical tourists. If caregiver-companions are open to collaboration with IPCs, and particularly in the form of information sharing, then their experience abroad can be safer and less stressful for themselves and, by extension, for the accompanied patients and facility staff.

Curriculum Integration: Helping Career and Technical Education Students Truly Develop College and Career Readiness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Travis; Pearson, Donna; Richardson, George B.

2017-01-01

All students need to learn how to read, write, solve mathematics problems, and understand and apply scientific principles to succeed in college and/or careers. The challenges posed by entry-level career fields are no less daunting than those posed by college-level study. Thus, career and technical education students must learn effective math,…

National Security and Global Climate Change

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-01-01

The uncertainty, confusion, and speculation about the causes, effects, and implications of global climate change (GCC) often paralyze serious...against scientific indications of global climate change , but to consider how it would pose challenges to national security, explore options for facing...generals and admirals, released a report concluding that projected climate change poses a serious threat to America’s national security. This article

A Note on Magic Squares

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Horace E.

1974-01-01

A method for generating 3x3 magic squares is developed. A series of questions relating to these magic squares is posed. An invesitgation using matrix methods is suggested with some questions for consideration. (LS)

Occupational and public health considerations for work-hour limitations policy regarding public health workers during response to natural and human-caused disasters.

PubMed

Berkowitz, Murray R

2012-01-01

This article examines the occupational health considerations that might impact the health and wellbeing of public health workers during responses to natural (eg, floods and hurricanes) and human-caused (eg, terrorism, war, and shootings) disasters. There are a number of articles in the medical literature that argue the impact of how working long hours by house staff physicians, nurses, and first-responders may pose health and safety concerns regarding the patients being treated. The question examined here is how working long hours may pose health and/or safety concerns for the public health workers themselves, as well as to those in the communities they serve. The health problems related to sleep deprivation are reviewed. Current policies and legislations regarding work-hour limitations are examined. Policy implications are discussed.

The Development of Questioning as a Means of Framing Problems and Posing Challenges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feigenbaum, Peter

When a person encounters a problem, the character, form, and content of his or her response provides psychologists with useful and interesting information about processes of challenge and their relationship to intellectual development. In essence, challenge is a developing relationship that is defined on the one hand by objective factors (a person…

Social Software: A Powerful Paradigm for Building Technology for Global Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wooding, Amy; Wooding, Kjell

2018-01-01

It is not difficult to imagine a world where internet-connected mobile devices are accessible to everyone. Can these technologies be used to help solve the challenges of global education? This was the challenge posed by the Global Learning XPRIZE--a $15 million grand challenge competition aimed at addressing this global teaching shortfall. In…

When Bible and Science Interact: Teachers' Pedagogic and Value Challenges in Teaching Religious Minority Students in Higher Education Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Novis-Deutsch, Nurit; Lifshitz, Chen

2016-01-01

The integration of highly religious minority students into institutions of higher education poses significant pedagogical and value challenges for students and teachers alike. We offer a framework for analyzing such challenges, distinguishing between practical concerns, identity issues and value conflicts. By contrasting a deficit perspective to…

A brief review of extrusion-based tissue scaffold bio-printing.

PubMed

Ning, Liqun; Chen, Xiongbiao

2017-08-01

Extrusion-based bio-printing has great potential as a technique for manipulating biomaterials and living cells to create three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds for damaged tissue repair and function restoration. Over the last two decades, advances in both engineering techniques and life sciences have evolved extrusion-based bio-printing from a simple technique to one able to create diverse tissue scaffolds from a wide range of biomaterials and cell types. However, the complexities associated with synthesis of materials for bio-printing and manipulation of multiple materials and cells in bio-printing pose many challenges for scaffold fabrication. This paper presents an overview of extrusion-based bio-printing for scaffold fabrication, focusing on the prior-printing considerations (such as scaffold design and materials/cell synthesis), working principles, comparison to other techniques, and to-date achievements. This paper also briefly reviews the recent development of strategies with regard to hydrogel synthesis, multi-materials/cells manipulation, and process-induced cell damage in extrusion-based bio-printing. The key issue and challenges for extrusion-based bio-printing are also identified and discussed along with recommendations for future, aimed at developing novel biomaterials and bio-printing systems, creating patterned vascular networks within scaffolds, and preserving the cell viability and functions in scaffold bio-printing. The address of these challenges will significantly enhance the capability of extrusion-based bio-printing. Copyright © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Implementing a WIC-Based Intervention to Promote Exclusive Breastfeeding: Challenges, Facilitators, and Adaptive Strategies.

PubMed

Eldridge, Johanna D; Hartnett, Josette O; Lee, Furrina F; Sekhobo, Jackson P; Edmunds, Lynn S

Understand factors that contributed to the implementation of a successful multicomponent intervention to promote exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) within Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinics. Qualitative study of staff implementers' experiences using implementation status reports, facilitated group discussion immediately after implementation, and WIC administrative data. WIC staff from 12 clinics participated in an EBF Learning Community composed of 8 intervention trainings and ongoing support from trainers and peers. A total of 47 WIC staff including 11 directors, 20 other administrators, 8 nutritionists, and 6 peer counselors. A WIC-integrated EBF promotion initiative, supported through a Learning Community, composed of prenatal screening, tailored trimester-specific counseling, and timely postpartum follow-up. Challenges and facilitators to implementation within clinics. Iterative qualitative analysis using directed, emergent, and thematic coding. Implementation experiences were characterized by (1) perceived benefits of implementation, including improved EBF knowledge and counseling confidence among staff; and (2) managing implementation, including responding to challenges posed by clinic settings (resources, routine practices, values, and perceptions of mothers) through strategies such as adapting clinic practices and intervention components. Implementation was shaped by clinic setting and adaptive strategies. Future WIC interventions may benefit from formal consideration of intervention fit with local clinic setting and allowable adaptations. Copyright © 2017 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Considerations for a Human Rights Impact Assessment of a Population Wide Treatment for HIV Prevention Intervention.

PubMed

Hanefeld, Johanna; Bond, Virginia; Seeley, Janet; Lees, Shelley; Desmond, Nicola

2015-12-01

Increasing attention is being paid to the potential of anti-retroviral treatment (ART) for HIV prevention. The possibility of eliminating HIV from a population through a universal test and treat intervention, where all people within a population are tested for HIV and all positive people immediately initiated on ART, as part of a wider prevention intervention, was first proposed in 2009. Several clinical trials testing this idea are now in inception phase. An intervention which relies on universally testing the entire population for HIV will pose challenges to human rights, including obtaining genuine consent to testing and treatment. It also requires a context in which people can live free from fear of stigma, discrimination and violence, and can access services they require. These challenges are distinct from the field of medical ethics which has traditionally governed clinical trials and focuses primarily on patient researcher relationship. This paper sets out the potential impact of a population wide treatment as prevention intervention on human rights. It identifies five human right principles of particular relevance: participation, accountability, the right to health, non-discrimination and equality, and consent and confidentiality. The paper proposes that explicit attention to human rights can strengthen a treatment as prevention intervention, contribute to mediating likely health systems challenges and offer insights on how to reach all sections of the population. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Risk stratification, genomic data and the law.

PubMed

Hall, Alison; Finnegan, Thomas; Chowdhury, Susmita; Dent, Tom; Kroese, Mark; Burton, Hilary

2018-02-22

Risk prediction models have a key role in stratified disease prevention, and the incorporation of genomic data into these models promises more effective personalisation. Although the clinical utility of incorporating genomic data into risk prediction tools is increasingly compelling, at least for some applications and disease types, the legal and regulatory implications have not been examined and have been overshadowed by discussions about clinical and scientific utility and feasibility. We held a workshop to explore relevant legal and regulatory perspectives from four EU Member States: France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. While we found no absolute prohibition on the use of such data in those tools, there are considerable challenges. Currently, these are modest and result from genomic data being classified as sensitive data under existing Data Protection regulation. However, these challenges will increase in the future following the implementation of EU Regulations on data protection which take effect in 2018, and reforms to the governance of the manufacture, development and use of in vitro diagnostic devices to be implemented in 2022. Collectively these will increase the regulatory burden placed on these products as risk stratification tools will be brought within the scope of these new Regulations. The failure to respond to the challenges posed by the use of genomic data in disease risk stratification tools could therefore prove costly to those developing and using such tools.

The Real Challenge of ESD

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, M. G.

2011-01-01

Between the Inter-governmental Conference on Environmental Education at Tbilisi in 1977 and the Fourth International Conference on Environmental Education at Ahmedabad in 2007, our conception of the challenge posed by the global crises of climate change, environmental destruction, social disintegration, poverty, natural resources exhaustion and…

DEVELOPMENT, DESIGN AND CONSUMER TESTING OF MARKETABLE RESIDENTIAL LED LIGHT LUMINAIRES

EPA Science Inventory

Developing marketable LED luminaires poses challenges, even though LEDs are energy-efficient and an ecological alternative to conventionally lighting. Challenges include: perceptions that the color rendition of LEDs is unacceptable to the public; numbers of LEDs must be grou...

Variation in transpiration efficiency in sorghum

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Declining freshwater resources, increasing population, and growing demand for biofuels pose new challenges for agriculture research. To meet these challenges, the concept “Blue Revolution” was proposed to improve water productivity in agriculture--“More Crop per Drop”. Sorghum is the fifth most imp...

Variation of Transpiration Efficiency in Sorghum

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Declining freshwater resources, increasing population, and growing demand for biofuels pose new challenges for agriculture research. To meet these challenges, the concept “Blue Revolution” was proposed to improve water productivity in agriculture--“More Crop per Drop”. Sorghum is the fifth most imp...

Comparative assessment of techniques for initial pose estimation using monocular vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, Sumant; D`Amico, Simone

2016-06-01

This work addresses the comparative assessment of initial pose estimation techniques for monocular navigation to enable formation-flying and on-orbit servicing missions. Monocular navigation relies on finding an initial pose, i.e., a coarse estimate of the attitude and position of the space resident object with respect to the camera, based on a minimum number of features from a three dimensional computer model and a single two dimensional image. The initial pose is estimated without the use of fiducial markers, without any range measurements or any apriori relative motion information. Prior work has been done to compare different pose estimators for terrestrial applications, but there is a lack of functional and performance characterization of such algorithms in the context of missions involving rendezvous operations in the space environment. Use of state-of-the-art pose estimation algorithms designed for terrestrial applications is challenging in space due to factors such as limited on-board processing power, low carrier to noise ratio, and high image contrasts. This paper focuses on performance characterization of three initial pose estimation algorithms in the context of such missions and suggests improvements.

Robust head pose estimation via supervised manifold learning.

PubMed

Wang, Chao; Song, Xubo

2014-05-01

Head poses can be automatically estimated using manifold learning algorithms, with the assumption that with the pose being the only variable, the face images should lie in a smooth and low-dimensional manifold. However, this estimation approach is challenging due to other appearance variations related to identity, head location in image, background clutter, facial expression, and illumination. To address the problem, we propose to incorporate supervised information (pose angles of training samples) into the process of manifold learning. The process has three stages: neighborhood construction, graph weight computation and projection learning. For the first two stages, we redefine inter-point distance for neighborhood construction as well as graph weight by constraining them with the pose angle information. For Stage 3, we present a supervised neighborhood-based linear feature transformation algorithm to keep the data points with similar pose angles close together but the data points with dissimilar pose angles far apart. The experimental results show that our method has higher estimation accuracy than the other state-of-art algorithms and is robust to identity and illumination variations. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DESIGN CONSIDERATION INVOLVING ACTIVE SEDIMENT CAPS

EPA Science Inventory

When contaminated sediments pose unacceptable risks to human health and the environment, management activities such as removal, treatment, or isolation of contaminated sediments may be required. Various capping designs are being considered for isolating contaminated sediment are...

Ethics and Research with Undergraduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richman, Kenneth A.; Alexander, Leslie B.

2006-01-01

Ethicists, researchers and policy makers have paid increasing attention to the ethical conduct of research, especially research involving human beings. Research performed with and by undergraduates poses a specific set of ethical challenges. These challenges are often overlooked by the research community because it is assumed that undergraduate…

Jesuit "Eloquentia Perfecta" and Theotropic Logology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mailloux, Steven

2015-01-01

This essay takes a rhetorical pragmatist perspective on current questions concerning educational goals and pedagogical practices. It begins by considering some challenges to rhetorical approaches to education, placing those challenges in the theoretical context of their posing. The essay then describes one current rhetorical approach--based on…

Challenges for PISA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schleicher, Andreas

2016-01-01

The OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) provides a framework in which over 80 countries collaborate to build advanced global metrics to assess the knowledge, skills and character attributes of the students. The design of assessments poses major conceptual and technical challenges, as successful learning. Beyond a sound…

Bisphenol A and Risk Management Ethics

PubMed Central

Resnik, David B.; Elliot, Kevin C.

2013-01-01

It is widely recognized that endocrine disrupting compounds, such as Bisphenol A, pose challenges for traditional paradigms in toxicology, insofar as these substances appear to have a wider range of low-dose effects than previously recognized. These compounds also pose challenges for ethics and policymaking. When a chemical does not have significant low-dose effects, regulators can allow it to be introduced into commerce or the environment, provided that procedures and rules are in place to keep exposures below an acceptable level. This option allows society to maximize the benefits from the use of the chemical while minimizing risks to human health or the environment, and it represents a compromise between competing values. When it is not possible to establish acceptable exposure levels for chemicals that pose significant health or environmental risks, the most reasonable options for risk management may be to enact either partial or complete bans on their use. These options create greater moral conflict than other risk management strategies, leaving policymakers difficult choices between competing values. PMID:24471646

Bisphenol A and risk management ethics.

PubMed

Resnik, David B; Elliott, Kevin C

2015-03-01

It is widely recognized that endocrine disrupting compounds, such as Bisphenol A, pose challenges for traditional paradigms in toxicology, insofar as these substances appear to have a wider range of low-dose effects than previously recognized. These compounds also pose challenges for ethics and policymaking. When a chemical does not have significant low-dose effects, regulators can allow it to be introduced into commerce or the environment, provided that procedures and rules are in place to keep exposures below an acceptable level. This option allows society to maximize the benefits from the use of the chemical while minimizing risks to human health or the environment, and it represents a compromise between competing values. When it is not possible to establish acceptable exposure levels for chemicals that pose significant health or environmental risks, the most reasonable options for risk management may be to enact either partial or complete bans on their use. These options create greater moral conflict than other risk management strategies, leaving policymakers difficult choices between competing values. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A Framework for the Cross-Sectoral Integration of Multi-Model Impact Projections: Land Use Decisions Under Climate Impacts Uncertainties

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frieler, K.; Elliott, Joshua; Levermann, A.; Heinke, J.; Arneth, A.; Bierkens, M. F. P.; Ciais, P.; Clark, D. B.; Deryng, D.; Doll, P.;

A framework for the cross-sectoral integration of multi-model impact projections: land use decisions under climate impacts uncertainties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frieler, K.; Levermann, A.; Elliott, J.; Heinke, J.; Arneth, A.; Bierkens, M. F. P.; Ciais, P.; Clark, D. B.; Deryng, D.; Döll, P.; Falloon, P.; Fekete, B.; Folberth, C.; Friend, A. D.; Gellhorn, C.; Gosling, S. N.; Haddeland, I.; Khabarov, N.; Lomas, M.; Masaki, Y.; Nishina, K.; Neumann, K.; Oki, T.; Pavlick, R.; Ruane, A. C.; Schmid, E.; Schmitz, C.; Stacke, T.; Stehfest, E.; Tang, Q.; Wisser, D.; Huber, V.; Piontek, F.; Warszawski, L.; Schewe, J.; Lotze-Campen, H.; Schellnhuber, H. J.

2015-07-01

Climate change and its impacts already pose considerable challenges for societies that will further increase with global warming (IPCC, 2014a, b). Uncertainties of the climatic response to greenhouse gas emissions include the potential passing of large-scale tipping points (e.g. Lenton et al., 2008; Levermann et al., 2012; Schellnhuber, 2010) and changes in extreme meteorological events (Field et al., 2012) with complex impacts on societies (Hallegatte et al., 2013). Thus climate change mitigation is considered a necessary societal response for avoiding uncontrollable impacts (Conference of the Parties, 2010). On the other hand, large-scale climate change mitigation itself implies fundamental changes in, for example, the global energy system. The associated challenges come on top of others that derive from equally important ethical imperatives like the fulfilment of increasing food demand that may draw on the same resources. For example, ensuring food security for a growing population may require an expansion of cropland, thereby reducing natural carbon sinks or the area available for bio-energy production. So far, available studies addressing this problem have relied on individual impact models, ignoring uncertainty in crop model and biome model projections. Here, we propose a probabilistic decision framework that allows for an evaluation of agricultural management and mitigation options in a multi-impact-model setting. Based on simulations generated within the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP), we outline how cross-sectorally consistent multi-model impact simulations could be used to generate the information required for robust decision making. Using an illustrative future land use pattern, we discuss the trade-off between potential gains in crop production and associated losses in natural carbon sinks in the new multiple crop- and biome-model setting. In addition, crop and water model simulations are combined to explore irrigation increases as one possible measure of agricultural intensification that could limit the expansion of cropland required in response to climate change and growing food demand. This example shows that current impact model uncertainties pose an important challenge to long-term mitigation planning and must not be ignored in long-term strategic decision making.

Policing and the mentally disordered.

PubMed

Graham, J

2001-04-01

I hope this article has given at least a flavour of the variety and complexity of challenges faced at the immediate operational level by police officers who have very little training in recognising the signs or symptoms of mental disorder and who very often have to deal with violent or irrational people who are quite simply criminal rather than ill. There is no question that in Dumfries Division police officers rely heavily upon the personal imput of on-call police doctors. Whilst at an operational level it is believed that incidents involvidng people with mental disorders are on the increase, it is particularly difficult to quantify exact extent of this perceived increase or indeed the impact which increasing abuse of alcohol and cotrolled drugs is having on the perception of mentally disordered offenders in the community. The vast majority of prisoners who are arrested and held within cells at Dumfries Police Office are suffering from some form of drug dependency and are in need of some form of assistance. Many display a variety of irrational behaviours when suffering the effects of drug withdrawal and increasingly it is difficult to keep any prisoner within the cells at Dumfries unless they have been examined by the on call police surgeon. Many are depressed, confused and increasingly providing at least verbal indicators that they are suicidal. It is more often the case that prisoners who are held within cells at Dumfries are in some form of constant observation whilst in our care. Given the increasing presence of mentally vulnerable people within our communities, it is vital that operational police officers play their part in responding appropriately to the needs of these people and the dangers they may pose to themselves or others. Dealing sensitively with increasing public concerns through appropriate community representative channels will also pose a considerable challenge. A challenge which can only be met through increasing awareness of the real situation and a commitment to enhance relationships across the caring and policing professions. The best chance of success in this area undoubtedly lies in the strength of these local relaitonships as progressed through honest and open inter-agency working.

The challenges associated with developing science-based landscape scale management plans.

Treesearch

Robert C. Szaro; Douglas A. Jr. Boyce; Thomas Puchlerz

2005-01-01

Planning activities over large landscapes poses a complex of challenges when trying to balance the implementation of a conservation strategy while still allowing for a variety of consumptive and nonconsumptive uses. We examine a case in southeast Alaska to illustrate the breadth of these challenges and an approach to developing a science-based resource plan. Not only...

A Critical Examination of the Use of Trained Health Coaches to Decrease the Metabolic Syndrome for Participants of a Community-Based Diabetes Prevention and Management Program.

PubMed

Lucke-Wold, Brandon; Shawley, Samantha; Ingels, John Spencer; Stewart, Jonathan; Misra, Ranjita

2016-01-01

The epidemic of obesity and diabetes in the United States poses major challenge to the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Furthermore, when this is viewed in other components of the metabolic syndrome (i.e., the burden of high cholesterol and hypertension), the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome continues to rise in the USA continued challenge is how to deal with this epidemic from a medical and public health standpoint. Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) is a unique approach and offers a novel perspective for answering this challenge. A critical set of goals for CBPR is to address health disparities and social inequalities while getting community members engaged in all aspects of the research process. Utilizing the West Virginia Diabetes Prevention and Management Program and trained Health Coaches as a model, we discuss topics of consideration related to CBPR, involving trained health coaches, optimizing early adoption of healthy lifestyle behaviors, and enhancing participation. Through careful project planning and design, questions regarding disparities increasing susceptibility and preventive efforts within the community can be addressed successfully. These topics are part of a broader integration of theories such as participatory research, community engagement, and outcomes measurement. The understanding of the pathophysiology and epidemiology of the metabolic syndrome can help frame an appropriate strategy for establishing long-term community-wide changes that promote health. In order to continue to improve investigations for preventing the metabolic syndrome, it will be necessary to have aggressive efforts at the individual and population level for developing culturally sensitive programs that start early and are sustainable in practical environments such as the workplace. In this comprehensive review, we will discuss practical considerations related to project design, implementation, and how to measure effectiveness in regards to reducing the burden of the metabolic syndrome.

Challenges of Biobanking in South Africa to Facilitate Indigenous Research in an Environment Burdened with Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Tuberculosis, and Emerging Noncommunicable Diseases

PubMed Central

Christoffels, Alan; Grewal, Ravnit; Karam, Locunda A.; Rossouw, Catherine; Staunton, Ciara; Swanepoel, Carmen; van Rooyen, Beverley

2013-01-01

The high burden of infectious diseases and the growing problem of noncommunicable and metabolic disease syndromes in South Africa (SA) forces a more focused research approach to facilitate cutting-edge scientific growth and public health development. Increased SA research on these diseases and syndromes and the collection of associated biospecimens has ensured a plethora of biobanks created by individuals, albeit without the foresight of prospective and collective use by other local and international researchers. As the need for access to high-quality specimens in statistically relevant numbers has increased, so has the necessity for the development of national human biobanks in SA and across the Continent. The prospects of achieving sustainable centralized biobanks are still an emerging and evolving concept, primarily and recently driven by the launch of the H3Africa consortium, which includes the development of harmonized and standardized biobanking operating procedures. This process is hindered by a myriad of complex societal considerations and ethico-legal challenges. Efforts to consolidate and standardize biological sample collections are further compromised by the lack of full appreciation by national stakeholders of the biological value inherent in these collections, and the availability of high quality human samples with well-annotated data for future scientific research and development. Inadequate or nonexistent legislative structures that specifically regulate the storage, use, dispersal, and disposal of human biological samples are common phenomena and pose further challenges. Furthermore, concerns relating to consent for unspecified future uses, as well as access to information and data protection, are all new paradigms that require further consideration and public engagement. This article reviews important fundamental issues such as governance, ethics, infrastructure, and bioinformatics that are important foundational prerequisites for the establishment and evolution of successful human biobanking in South Africa. PMID:24835364

DESIGN CONSIDERATION INVOLVING ACTIVE SEDIMENT CAPS (PRESENTATION)

EPA Science Inventory

When contaminated sediments pose unacceptable risks to human health and the environment, management activities such as removal, treatment, or isolation of contaminated sediments may be required. Various capping designs are being considered for isolating contaminated sediment are...

Attending physician work hours: ethical considerations and the last doctor standing.

PubMed

Mercurio, Mark R; Peterec, Steven M

2009-08-01

Based at least in part on concerns for patient safety and evidence that long shifts are associated with an increased risk of physician error, residents' and fellows' work hours have been strictly limited for the past several years. Little attention has been paid, however, to excessive attending physician shift duration, although there seems to be no reason to assume that this common practice poses any less risk to patients. Potential justifications for allowing attending physicians to work without hourly limits include physician autonomy, workforce shortages in certain communities or subspecialties, continuity of care, and financial considerations. None of these clearly justify the apparent increased risk to patients, with the exception in some settings of workforce shortage. In many hospital settings, the practice of allowing attending physicians to work with no limit on shift duration could pose an unnecessary risk to patients.

Intelligent Tutoring Systems for Literacy: Existing Technologies and Continuing Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacovina, Matthew E.; McNamara, Danielle S.

2017-01-01

In this chapter, we describe several intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) designed to support student literacy through reading comprehension and writing instruction and practice. Although adaptive instruction can be a powerful tool in the literacy domain, developing these technologies poses significant challenges. For example, evaluating the…

THE DNAPL REMEDIATION CHALLENGE: IS THERE A CASE FOR SOURCE DEPLETION?

EPA Science Inventory

Releases of Dense Non-Aqueous Phase Liquids (DNAPLs) at a large number of public and private sector sites in the United States pose significant challenges in site remediation and long-term site management. Extensive contamination of groundwater occurs as a result of significant ...

Social Risk Takers: Understanding Bilingualism in Mathematical Discussions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dominguez, Higinio

2017-01-01

The teaching and research communities in mathematics education agree that mathematical discussions pose challenges in elementary classrooms. These challenges continue to motivate research on mathematical discussions, with a focus on how students use talk in discussions. This study addresses the question, "What can teachers and researchers…

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT (LCA) AS A FRAMEWORK FOR ADDRESSING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS (CAFOS)

EPA Science Inventory

The challenges Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) directly pose to sustainability include their impact on human health, receiving water bodies, groundwater, and air quality. These challenges result from the large quantities of macronutrients (carbon, nitrogen, and pho...

The Threat or Challenge of Accountability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosenberg, Marvin L.; Brody, Ralph

1974-01-01

Social service agencies can improve accountability to their clients in specific ways. These techniques borrow some of the language and principles of management science and can be applied successfully only if social workers accept the challenge posed by accountability and view these concepts as compatible with professional values. (Author)

Laser Scanning Systems and Techniques in Rockfall Source Identification and Risk Assessment: A Critical Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fanos, Ali Mutar; Pradhan, Biswajeet

2018-04-01

Rockfall poses risk to people, their properties and to transportation ways in mountainous and hilly regions. This catastrophe shows various characteristics such as vast distribution, sudden occurrence, variable magnitude, strong fatalness and randomicity. Therefore, prediction of rockfall phenomenon both spatially and temporally is a challenging task. Digital Terrain model (DTM) is one of the most significant elements in rockfall source identification and risk assessment. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is the most advanced effective technique to derive high-resolution and accurate DTM. This paper presents a critical overview of rockfall phenomenon (definition, triggering factors, motion modes and modeling) and LiDAR technique in terms of data pre-processing, DTM generation and the factors that can be obtained from this technique for rockfall source identification and risk assessment. It also reviews the existing methods that are utilized for the evaluation of the rockfall trajectories and their characteristics (frequency, velocity, bouncing height and kinetic energy), probability, susceptibility, hazard and risk. Detail consideration is given on quantitative methodologies in addition to the qualitative ones. Various methods are demonstrated with respect to their application scales (local and regional). Additionally, attention is given to the latest improvement, particularly including the consideration of the intensity of the phenomena and the magnitude of the events at chosen sites.

When ethics constrains clinical research: trial design of control arms in "greater than minimal risk" pediatric trials.

PubMed

de Melo-Martín, Inmaculada; Sondhi, Dolan; Crystal, Ronald G

2011-09-01

For more than three decades clinical research in the United States has been explicitly guided by the idea that ethical considerations must be central to research design and practice. In spite of the centrality of this idea, attempting to balance the sometimes conflicting values of advancing scientific knowledge and protecting human subjects continues to pose challenges. Possible conflicts between the standards of scientific research and those of ethics are particularly salient in relation to trial design. Specifically, the choice of a control arm is an aspect of trial design in which ethical and scientific issues are deeply entwined. Although ethical quandaries related to the choice of control arms may arise when conducting any type of clinical trials, they are conspicuous in early phase gene transfer trials that involve highly novel approaches and surgical procedures and have children as the research subjects. Because of children's and their parents' vulnerabilities, in trials that investigate therapies for fatal, rare diseases affecting minors, the scientific and ethical concerns related to choosing appropriate controls are particularly significant. In this paper we use direct gene transfer to the central nervous system to treat late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis to illustrate some of these ethical issues and explore possible solutions to real and apparent conflicts between scientific and ethical considerations.

PIM-1 kinase expression in adipocytic neoplasms: diagnostic and biological implications

PubMed Central

Nga, Min En; Swe, Nu Nu Ma; Chen, Kang Ting; Shen, Liang; Lilly, Michael B; Chan, Siew Pang; Salto-Tellez, Manuel; Das, Kakoli

2010-01-01

The differential diagnosis of soft tissue tumours poses a considerable challenge for pathologists, especially adipocytic tumours, as these may show considerable overlap in clinical presentation and morphological features with many other mesenchymal neoplasms. Hence, a specific and reliable marker that identifies adipocytic differentiation is much sought. We investigated the immunohistochemical expression of PIM-1 kinase in 35 samples of soft tissue tumours using tissue microarray technology and 49 full sections of adipocytic (n = 26) and non-adipocytic tumours (n = 23). Benign and malignant adipocytic tumours showed strong expression of PIM-1 while the non-adipocytic tumours were either negative or showed only weak staining for the protein. In myxoid liposarcomas, PIM-1 showed a distinct, unique vacuolar staining pattern, clearly outlining fine cytoplasmic lipid vacuoles. By contrast, non-adipocytic myxoid tumours (myxoma, chordoma and myxoid chondrosarcoma) did not show this vacuolar pattern of PIM-1 staining, although vacuolated cells were present on H&E. This differential expression was confirmed at a gene expression level in selected cases. Our results indicate that the expression of PIM-1 in adipose tissue may be a useful marker of adipocytic differentiation, in particular if the staining is both of high intensity and present in a unique, vacuolar pattern. PMID:19878356

Exploration Design Challenge 2014

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-25

Team Lore poses with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Lockheed Martin CEO, Marillyn Hewson. Team Lore was one of the semi-finalists in the Exploration Design Challenge. The goal of the Exploration Design Challenge is for students to research and design ways to protect astronauts from space radiation. The winner of the challenge was announced on April 25, 2014 at the USA Science and Engineering Festival at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Exploration Design Challenge 2014

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-25

Team Aegis poses with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Lockheed Martin CEO, Marillyn Hewson. Team Aegis was one of the semi-finalists in the Exploration Design Challenge. The goal of the Exploration Design Challenge is for students to research and design ways to protect astronauts from space radiation. The winner of the challenge was announced on April 25, 2014 at the USA Science and Engineering Festival at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Recruitment of Yoruba families from Nigeria for genetic research: experience from a multisite keloid study.

PubMed

Olaitan, Peter B; Odesina, Victoria; Ademola, Samuel; Fadiora, Solomon O; Oluwatosin, Odunayo M; Reichenberger, Ernst J

2014-09-02

More involvement of sub-Saharan African countries in biomedical studies, specifically in genetic research, is needed to advance individualized medicine that will benefit non-European populations. Missing infrastructure, cultural and religious beliefs as well as lack of understanding of research benefits can pose a challenge to recruitment. Here we describe recruitment efforts for a large genetic study requiring three-generation pedigrees within the Yoruba homelands of Nigeria. The aim of the study was to identify genes responsible for keloids, a wound healing disorder. We also discuss ethical and logistical considerations that we encountered in preparation for this research endeavor. Protocols for this bi-national intercultural study were approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) in the US and the ethics committees of the Nigerian institutions for consideration of cultural differences. Principles of community based participatory research were employed throughout the recruitment process. Keloid patients (patient advisors), community leaders, kings/chiefs and medical directors were engaged to assist the research teams with recruitment strategies. Community meetings, church forums, and media outlets (study flyers, radio and TV announcements) were utilized to promote the study in Nigeria. Recruitment of research participants was conducted by trained staff from the local communities. Pedigree structures were re-analyzed on a regular basis as new family members were recruited and recruitment challenges were documented. Total recruitment surpassed 4200 study participants over a 7-year period including 79 families with complete three-generation pedigrees. In 9 families more than 20 family members participated, however, in 5 of these families, we encountered issues with pedigree structure as members from different branches presented inconsistent family histories. These issues were due to the traditional open family structure amongst the Yoruba and by beliefs in voodoo or in juju. In addition, family members living in other parts of the country or abroad complicated timely and complete family recruitment. Organizational, logistics and ethics challenges can be overcome by additional administrative efforts, good communication, community involvement and education of staff members. However, recruitment challenges due to infrastructural shortcomings or cultural and religious beliefs can lead to significant delays, which may negatively affect study time lines and expectations of funding agencies.

Food Aversions and Cravings during Pregnancy on Yasawa Island, Fiji.

PubMed

McKerracher, Luseadra; Collard, Mark; Henrich, Joseph

2016-09-01

Women often experience novel food aversions and cravings during pregnancy. These appetite changes have been hypothesized to work alongside cultural strategies as adaptive responses to the challenges posed by pregnancy (e.g., maternal immune suppression). Here, we report a study that assessed whether data from an indigenous population in Fiji are consistent with the predictions of this hypothesis. We found that aversions focus predominantly on foods expected to exacerbate the challenges of pregnancy. Cravings focus on foods that provide calories and micronutrients while posing few threats to mothers and fetuses. We also found that women who experience aversions to specific foods are more likely to crave foods that meet nutritional needs similar to those provided by the aversive foods. These findings are in line with the predictions of the hypothesis. This adds further weight to the argument that appetite changes may function in parallel with cultural mechanisms to solve pregnancy challenges.

Climate Change and Health in the Urban Context: The Experience of Barcelona.

PubMed

Villalbí, Joan R; Ventayol, Irma

2016-07-01

Climate change poses huge challenges for public health, and cities are at the forefront of this process. The purpose of this paper is to present the issues climate change poses for public health in the city of Barcelona, how they are being addressed, and what are the current major challenges, trying to contribute to the development of a baseline understanding of the status of adaptation in cities from a public health perspective. The major issues related to climate change faced by the city are common to other urban centers in a Mediterranean climate: heat waves, water availability and quality, air quality, and diseases transmitted by vectors, and all are reviewed in detail with empirical data. They are not a potential threat for the future, but have actually challenged the city services and infrastructure over the last years, requiring sustainable responses and rigorous planning. © The Author(s) 2016.

A qualitative description of service providers' experiences of ethical issues in HIV care.

PubMed

Sabone, Motshedisi B; Mogobe, Keitshokile Dintle; Matshediso, Ellah; Shaibu, Sheila; Ntsayagae, Esther I; Corless, Inge B; Cuca, Yvette P; Holzemer, William L; Dawson-Rose, Carol; Baez, Solymar S Soliz; Rivero-Mendz, Marta; Webel, Allison R; Eller, Lucille Sanzero; Reid, Paula; Johnson, Mallory O; Kemppainen, Jeanne; Reyes, Darcel; Nokes, Kathleen; Wantland, Dean; Nicholas, Patrice K; Lingren, Teri; Portillo, Carmen J; Sefcik, Elizabeth; Long-Middleton, Ellen

2018-01-01

Managing HIV treatment is a complex multi-dimensional task because of a combination of factors such as stigma and discrimination of some populations who frequently get infected with HIV. In addition, patient-provider encounters have become increasingly multicultural, making effective communication and provision of ethically sound care a challenge. This article explores ethical issues that health service providers in the United States and Botswana encountered in their interaction with patients in HIV care. A descriptive qualitative design was used to collect data from health service providers and patients using focused group discussions. This article is based on responses from health service providers only. Participants and context: This article is based on 11 focused group discussions with a total sample of 71 service providers in seven US sites and one Botswana site. Ethical considerations: Ethical review boards at all the study sites reviewed the study protocol and approved it. Ethical review boards of the study's coordinating centers, Rutgers University and the University of California at San Francisco, also approved it. The study participants provided a written informed consent to participate. HIV service providers encountered ethical challenges in all the four Beauchamp and Childress' biomedical ethics of respect for patients' autonomy, beneficence, justice, and nonmaleficence. The finding that HIV service providers encounter ethical challenges in their interaction with patients is supported by prior studies. The ethical challenges are particularly prominent in multicultural care and resource-constrained care environments. Provision of HIV care is fraught with ethical challenges that tend to pose different issues depending on a given care environment. It is important that strong partnerships are developed among key stakeholders in HIV care. In addition, health service providers need to be provided with resources so they can provide quality and ethically sound care.

The future water environment--using scenarios to explore the significant water management challenges in England and Wales to 2050.

PubMed

Henriques, C; Garnett, K; Weatherhead, E K; Lickorish, F A; Forrow, D; Delgado, J

2015-04-15

Society gets numerous benefits from the water environment. It is crucial to ensure that water management practices deliver these benefits over the long-term in a sustainable and cost-effective way. Currently, hydromorphological alterations and nutrient enrichment pose the greatest challenges in European water bodies. The rapidly changing climatic and socio-economic boundary conditions pose further challenges to water management decisions and the achievement of policy goals. Scenarios are a strategic tool useful in conducting systematic investigations of future uncertainties pertaining to water management. In this study, the use of scenarios revealed water management challenges for England and Wales to 2050. A set of existing scenarios relevant to river basin management were elaborated through stakeholder workshops and interviews, relying on expert knowledge to identify drivers of change, their interdependencies, and influence on system dynamics. In a set of four plausible alternative futures, the causal chain from driving forces through pressures to states, impacts and responses (DPSIR framework) was explored. The findings suggest that scenarios driven by short-term economic growth and competitiveness undermine current environmental legislative requirements and exacerbate the negative impacts of climate change, producing a general deterioration of water quality and physical habitats, as well as reduced water availability with adverse implications for the environment, society and economy. Conversely, there are substantial environmental improvements under the scenarios characterised by long-term sustainability, though achieving currently desired environmental outcomes still poses challenges. The impacts vary across contrasting generic catchment types that exhibit distinct future water management challenges. The findings suggest the need to address hydromorphological alterations, nutrient enrichment and nitrates in drinking water, which are all likely to be exacerbated in the future. Future-proofing river basin management measures that deal with these challenges is crucial moving forward. The use of scenarios to future-proof strategy, policy and delivery mechanisms is discussed to inform next steps. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

"No-Go Considerations" for In Situ Simulation Safety.

PubMed

Bajaj, Komal; Minors, Anjoinette; Walker, Katie; Meguerdichian, Michael; Patterson, Mary

2018-06-01

In situ simulation is the practice of simulation in the actual clinical environment and has demonstrated utility in the assessment of system processes, identification of latent safety threats, and improvement in teamwork and communication. Nonetheless, performing simulated events in a real patient care setting poses potential risks to patient and staff safety. One integral aspect of a comprehensive approach to ensure the safety of in situ simulation includes the identification and establishment of "no-go considerations," that is, key decision-making considerations under which in situ simulations should be canceled, postponed, moved to another area, or rescheduled. These considerations should be modified and adjusted to specific clinical units. This article provides a framework of key essentials in developing no-go considerations.

A fragment-based approach to the SAMPL3 Challenge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulp, John L.; Blumenthal, Seth N.; Wang, Qiang; Bryan, Richard L.; Guarnieri, Frank

2012-05-01

The success of molecular fragment-based design depends critically on the ability to make predictions of binding poses and of affinity ranking for compounds assembled by linking fragments. The SAMPL3 Challenge provides a unique opportunity to evaluate the performance of a state-of-the-art fragment-based design methodology with respect to these requirements. In this article, we present results derived from linking fragments to predict affinity and pose in the SAMPL3 Challenge. The goal is to demonstrate how incorporating different aspects of modeling protein-ligand interactions impact the accuracy of the predictions, including protein dielectric models, charged versus neutral ligands, ΔΔGs solvation energies, and induced conformational stress. The core method is based on annealing of chemical potential in a Grand Canonical Monte Carlo (GC/MC) simulation. By imposing an initially very high chemical potential and then automatically running a sequence of simulations at successively decreasing chemical potentials, the GC/MC simulation efficiently discovers statistical distributions of bound fragment locations and orientations not found reliably without the annealing. This method accounts for configurational entropy, the role of bound water molecules, and results in a prediction of all the locations on the protein that have any affinity for the fragment. Disregarding any of these factors in affinity-rank prediction leads to significantly worse correlation with experimentally-determined free energies of binding. We relate three important conclusions from this challenge as applied to GC/MC: (1) modeling neutral ligands—regardless of the charged state in the active site—produced better affinity ranking than using charged ligands, although, in both cases, the poses were almost exactly overlaid; (2) simulating explicit water molecules in the GC/MC gave better affinity and pose predictions; and (3) applying a ΔΔGs solvation correction further improved the ranking of the neutral ligands. Using the GC/MC method under a variety of parameters in the blinded SAMPL3 Challenge provided important insights to the relevant parameters and boundaries in predicting binding affinities using simulated annealing of chemical potential calculations.

Comparison of Student and Instructor Perceptions of Social Presence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathieson, Kathleen; Leafman, Joan S.

2014-01-01

As enrollment in online courses continues to grow and online education is increasingly recognized as an established instructional mode, the unique challenges posed by this learning environment should be addressed. A primary challenge for virtual educators is developing social presence such that participants feel a sense of human connection with…

Prediction, Error, and Adaptation during Online Sentence Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fine, Alex Brabham

2013-01-01

A fundamental challenge for human cognition is perceiving and acting in a world in which the statistics that characterize available sensory data are non-stationary. This thesis focuses on this problem specifically in the domain of sentence comprehension, where linguistic variability poses computational challenges to the processes underlying…

Entrepreneurship Education Can Business Schools Meet the Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirby, David A.

2004-01-01

Examines the characteristics and role of the entrepreneur and the challenges for business schools posed by the need to develop more enterprising individuals. Argues that the traditional education system stultifies rather than develops the requisite attributes and skills to produce entrepreneurs, and proposes that if entrepreneurs are to be…

Quantitative Approaches to Group Research: Suggestions for Best Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCarthy, Christopher J.; Whittaker, Tiffany A.; Boyle, Lauren H.; Eyal, Maytal

2017-01-01

Rigorous scholarship is essential to the continued growth of group work, yet the unique nature of this counseling specialty poses challenges for quantitative researchers. The purpose of this proposal is to overview unique challenges to quantitative research with groups in the counseling field, including difficulty in obtaining large sample sizes…

Adoption of Internet2 in a Southwestern University: Human Resources Concerns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mendoza-Diaz, Noemi V.; Dooley, Larry M.; Dooley, Kim E.

2007-01-01

Human Resources are often times challenged by the integration of new technologies (Benson, Johnson, & Kichinke, 2002). Universities pose a unique challenge since they reluctantly adapt to changes (Torraco & Hoover, 2005; Watkins 2005). This is a dissertation study of the human resource concerns about adopting Internet2 in a…

A Perkins Challenge: Assessing Technical Skills in CTE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stone, James R., III

2009-01-01

Federal law requires state to develop performance measures and data-collection systems for secondary and postsecondary technical-skill attainment. This poses many challenges, such as defining a technical skills, measurement and when to assess students. In this article, the author outlines various assessment models and looks at the challenges…

Military Children and Families: Strengths and Challenges during Peace and War

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Nansook

2011-01-01

Throughout history, military children and families have shown great capacity for adaptation and resilience. However, in recent years, unprecedented lengthy and multiple combat deployments of service members have posed multiple challenges for U.S. military children and families. Despite needs to better understand the impact of deployment on…

Intergenerational Challenges in Australian Jewish School Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gross, Zehavit; Rutland, Suzanne D.

2014-01-01

The aim of this research is to investigate the intergenerational changes that have occurred in Australian Jewish day schools and the challenges these pose for religious and Jewish education. Using a grounded theory approach according to the constant comparative method (Strauss 1987), data from three sources (interviews [296], observations [27],…

Insights into the polerovirus-plant interactome revealed by co-immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The identification of host proteins that interact with virus proteins is a major challenge for the field of virology. Phloem-limited viruses pose extraordinary challenges for in vivo protein interaction experiments because these viruses are localized in very few and highly specialized host cells. ...

Evaluation Options for Family Resource Centers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horsch, Karen, Ed.; Weiss, Heather B., Ed.

Family resource centers (FRC) are emerging as a promising program approach to solving urgent social problems. Evaluation plays an important role in learning how these programs work, what their impact is, and whether they should be expanded. However, FRCs pose unique challenges to evaluation. This report considers the challenges to evaluating FRCs,…

Many Faces Have I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zilliox, Joseph T.; Lowery, Shannon G.

1997-01-01

Describes an extended investigation of polygons and polyhedra which was conducted in response to a challenge posed in Focus, a newsletter from the Mathematical Association of America (MAA). Students were challenged to construct a polyhedron with faces that measure more than 13 inches to a side. Outlines the process, including the questions posed…

Relative Clauses in Cantonese-English Bilingual Children: Typological Challenges and Processing Motivations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yip, Virginia; Matthews, Stephen

2007-01-01

Findings from a longitudinal study of bilingual children acquiring Cantonese and English pose a challenge to the noun phrase accessibility hierarchy (NPAH; Keenan & Comrie, 1977), which predicts that object relatives should not be acquired before subject relatives. In the children's Cantonese, object relatives emerged earlier than or…

A Self-Adaptive Multi-Agent System Approach for Collaborative Mobile Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de la Iglesia, Didac Gil; Calderon, Juan Felipe; Weyns, Danny; Milrad, Marcelo; Nussbaum, Miguel

2015-01-01

Mobile technologies have emerged as facilitators in the learning process, extending traditional classroom activities. However, engineering mobile learning applications for outdoor usage poses severe challenges. The requirements of these applications are challenging, as many different aspects need to be catered, such as resource access and sharing,…

Big Data Goes Personal: Privacy and Social Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonomi, Luca

2015-01-01

The Big Data phenomenon is posing new challenges in our modern society. In addition to requiring information systems to effectively manage high-dimensional and complex data, the privacy and social implications associated with the data collection, data analytics, and service requirements create new important research problems. First, the high…

Science, Sport and Technology--A Contribution to Educational Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Hara, Kelly; Reis, Paula; Esteves, Dulce; Bras, Rui; Branco, Luisa

2011-01-01

Improve students' ability to link knowledge with real life practice, through enhancing children or teenagers' ability to think critically by way of making observations, posing questions, drawing up hypotheses, planning and carrying out investigations, analysing data and therefore improve their decision making is an educational challenge. Learning…

Challenging Anti-Immigration Discourses in School and Community Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allexsaht-Snider, Martha; Buxton, Cory A.; Harman, Ruth

2012-01-01

Rapid migration shifts, anti-immigrant discourses in the public sphere, and harsh immigration policies have posed daunting challenges for immigrant students, their families, their teachers, and their communities in the 21st century. Trends in public discourse and law enforcement in the United States mirror developments in European countries with…

Challenges of coverage policy development for next-generation tumor sequencing panels: experts and payers weigh in.

PubMed

Trosman, Julia R; Weldon, Christine B; Kelley, R Kate; Phillips, Kathryn A

2015-03-01

Next-generation tumor sequencing (NGTS) panels, which include multiple established and novel targets across cancers, are emerging in oncology practice, but lack formal positive coverage by US payers. Lack of coverage may impact access and adoption. This study identified challenges of NGTS coverage by private payers. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 NGTS experts on potential NGTS benefits, and with 10 major payers, representing more than 125,000,000 enrollees, on NGTS coverage considerations. We used the framework approach of qualitative research for study design and thematic analyses and simple frequencies to further describe findings. All interviewed payers see potential NGTS benefits, but all noted challenges to formal coverage: 80% state that inherent features of NGTS do not fit the medical necessity definition required for coverage, 70% view NGTS as a bundle of targets versus comprehensive tumor characterization and may evaluate each target individually, and 70% express skepticism regarding new evidence methods proposed for NGTS. Fifty percent of payers expressed sufficient concerns about NGTS adoption and implementation that will preclude their ability to issue positive coverage policies. Payers perceive that NGTS holds significant promise but, in its current form, poses disruptive challenges to coverage policy frameworks. Proactive multidisciplinary efforts to define the direction for NGTS development, evidence generation, and incorporation into coverage policy are necessary to realize its promise and provide patient access. This study contributes to current literature, as possibly the first study to directly interview US payers on NGTS coverage and reimbursement. Copyright © 2015 by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network.

Challenges of Coverage Policy Development for Next-Generation Tumor Sequencing Panels: Experts and Payers Weigh In

PubMed Central

Trosman, Julia R.; Weldon, Christine B.; Kate Kelley, R.; Phillips, Kathryn A.

2015-01-01

Background Next-generation tumor sequencing (NGTS) panels, which include multiple established and novel targets across cancers, are emerging in oncology practice, but lack formal positive coverage by US payers. Lack of coverage may impact access and adoption. This study identified challenges of NGTS coverage by private payers. Methods We conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 NGTS experts on potential NGTS benefits, and with 10 major payers, representing more than 125,000,000 enrollees, on NGTS coverage considerations. We used the framework approach of qualitative research for study design and thematic analyses and simple frequencies to further describe findings. Results All interviewed payers see potential NGTS benefits, but all noted challenges to formal coverage: 80% state that inherent features of NGTS do not fit the medical necessity definition required for coverage, 70% view NGTS as a bundle of targets versus comprehensive tumor characterization and may evaluate each target individually, and 70% express skepticism regarding new evidence methods proposed for NGTS. Fifty percent of payers expressed sufficient concerns about NGTS adoption and implementation that will preclude their ability to issue positive coverage policies. Conclusions Payers perceive that NGTS holds significant promise but, in its current form, poses disruptive challenges to coverage policy frameworks. Proactive multidisciplinary efforts to define the direction for NGTS development, evidence generation, and incorporation into coverage policy are necessary to realize its promise and provide patient access. This study contributes to current literature, as possibly the first study to directly interview US payers on NGTS coverage and reimbursement. PMID:25736008

Workflows and performances in the ranking prediction of 2016 D3R Grand Challenge 2: lessons learned from a collaborative effort.

PubMed

Gao, Ying-Duo; Hu, Yuan; Crespo, Alejandro; Wang, Deping; Armacost, Kira A; Fells, James I; Fradera, Xavier; Wang, Hongwu; Wang, Huijun; Sherborne, Brad; Verras, Andreas; Peng, Zhengwei

2018-01-01

The 2016 D3R Grand Challenge 2 includes both pose and affinity or ranking predictions. This article is focused exclusively on affinity predictions submitted to the D3R challenge from a collaborative effort of the modeling and informatics group. Our submissions include ranking of 102 ligands covering 4 different chemotypes against the FXR ligand binding domain structure, and the relative binding affinity predictions of the two designated free energy subsets of 15 and 18 compounds. Using all the complex structures prepared in the same way allowed us to cover many types of workflows and compare their performances effectively. We evaluated typical workflows used in our daily structure-based design modeling support, which include docking scores, force field-based scores, QM/MM, MMGBSA, MD-MMGBSA, and MacroModel interaction energy estimations. The best performing methods for the two free energy subsets are discussed. Our results suggest that affinity ranking still remains very challenging; that the knowledge of more structural information does not necessarily yield more accurate predictions; and that visual inspection and human intervention are considerably important for ranking. Knowledge of the mode of action and protein flexibility along with visualization tools that depict polar and hydrophobic maps are very useful for visual inspection. QM/MM-based workflows were found to be powerful in affinity ranking and are encouraged to be applied more often. The standardized input and output enable systematic analysis and support methodology development and improvement for high level blinded predictions.

Workflows and performances in the ranking prediction of 2016 D3R Grand Challenge 2: lessons learned from a collaborative effort

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Ying-Duo; Hu, Yuan; Crespo, Alejandro; Wang, Deping; Armacost, Kira A.; Fells, James I.; Fradera, Xavier; Wang, Hongwu; Wang, Huijun; Sherborne, Brad; Verras, Andreas; Peng, Zhengwei

2018-01-01

The 2016 D3R Grand Challenge 2 includes both pose and affinity or ranking predictions. This article is focused exclusively on affinity predictions submitted to the D3R challenge from a collaborative effort of the modeling and informatics group. Our submissions include ranking of 102 ligands covering 4 different chemotypes against the FXR ligand binding domain structure, and the relative binding affinity predictions of the two designated free energy subsets of 15 and 18 compounds. Using all the complex structures prepared in the same way allowed us to cover many types of workflows and compare their performances effectively. We evaluated typical workflows used in our daily structure-based design modeling support, which include docking scores, force field-based scores, QM/MM, MMGBSA, MD-MMGBSA, and MacroModel interaction energy estimations. The best performing methods for the two free energy subsets are discussed. Our results suggest that affinity ranking still remains very challenging; that the knowledge of more structural information does not necessarily yield more accurate predictions; and that visual inspection and human intervention are considerably important for ranking. Knowledge of the mode of action and protein flexibility along with visualization tools that depict polar and hydrophobic maps are very useful for visual inspection. QM/MM-based workflows were found to be powerful in affinity ranking and are encouraged to be applied more often. The standardized input and output enable systematic analysis and support methodology development and improvement for high level blinded predictions.

The architecture challenge: Future artificial-intelligence systems will require sophisticated architectures, and knowledge of the brain might guide their construction.

PubMed

Baldassarre, Gianluca; Santucci, Vieri Giuliano; Cartoni, Emilio; Caligiore, Daniele

2017-01-01

In this commentary, we highlight a crucial challenge posed by the proposal of Lake et al. to introduce key elements of human cognition into deep neural networks and future artificial-intelligence systems: the need to design effective sophisticated architectures. We propose that looking at the brain is an important means of facing this great challenge.

Challenges and climate of business environment and resources to support pediatric device development.

PubMed

Iqbal, Corey W; Wall, James; Harrison, Michael R

2015-06-01

The incidence of pediatric disease conditions pales in comparison to adult disease. Consequently, many pediatric disorders are considered orphan diseases. Resources for the development of devices targeting orphan diseases are scarce and this poses a unique challenge to the development of pediatric devices. This article outlines these challenges and offers solutions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Thesis Writing Challenges for Non-Native MA Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadeghi, Karim; Shirzad Khajepasha, Arash

2015-01-01

Writing in a second (L2)/foreign language is generally a challenging activity, and writing an MA thesis, as an example of academic enterprise, can be daunting when done in a language in which the writer is not fully competent. The challenge such a genre of writing poses for L2 writers has not been properly addressed. To fill in the gap in this…

21st century climate change in the European Alps--a review.

PubMed

Gobiet, Andreas; Kotlarski, Sven; Beniston, Martin; Heinrich, Georg; Rajczak, Jan; Stoffel, Markus

2014-09-15

Reliable estimates of future climate change in the Alps are relevant for large parts of the European society. At the same time, the complex Alpine region poses considerable challenges to climate models, which translate to uncertainties in the climate projections. Against this background, the present study reviews the state-of-knowledge about 21st century climate change in the Alps based on existing literature and additional analyses. In particular, it explicitly considers the reliability and uncertainty of climate projections. Results show that besides Alpine temperatures, also precipitation, global radiation, relative humidity, and closely related impacts like floods, droughts, snow cover, and natural hazards will be affected by global warming. Under the A1B emission scenario, about 0.25 °C warming per decade until the mid of the 21st century and accelerated 0.36 °C warming per decade in the second half of the century is expected. Warming will probably be associated with changes in the seasonality of precipitation, global radiation, and relative humidity, and more intense precipitation extremes and flooding potential in the colder part of the year. The conditions of currently record breaking warm or hot winter or summer seasons, respectively, may become normal at the end of the 21st century, and there is indication for droughts to become more severe in the future. Snow cover is expected to drastically decrease below 1500-2000 m and natural hazards related to glacier and permafrost retreat are expected to become more frequent. Such changes in climatic parameters and related quantities will have considerable impact on ecosystems and society and will challenge their adaptive capabilities. © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Exploration Design Challenge 2014

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-25

Team Titan Shielding Systems poses with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Lockheed Martin CEO, Marillyn Hewson. Team Titan Shielding Systems was one of the semi-finalists in the Exploration Design Challenge. The goal of the Exploration Design Challenge is for students to research and design ways to protect astronauts from space radiation. The winner of the challenge was announced on April 25, 2014 at the USA Science and Engineering Festival at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Exploring the Stability of Ligand Binding Modes to Proteins by Molecular Dynamics Simulations: A Cross-docking Study.

PubMed

Liu, Kai; Kokubo, Hironori

2017-10-23

Docking has become an indispensable approach in drug discovery research to predict the binding mode of a ligand. One great challenge in docking is to efficiently refine the correct pose from various putative docking poses through scoring functions. We recently examined the stability of self-docking poses under molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and showed that equilibrium MD simulations have some capability to discriminate between correct and decoy poses. Here, we have extended our previous work to cross-docking studies for practical applications. Three target proteins (thrombin, heat shock protein 90-alpha, and cyclin-dependent kinase 2) of pharmaceutical interest were selected. Three comparable poses (one correct pose and two decoys) for each ligand were then selected from the docking poses. To obtain the docking poses for the three target proteins, we used three different protocols, namely: normal docking, induced fit docking (IFD), and IFD against the homology model. Finally, five parallel MD equilibrium runs were performed on each pose for the statistical analysis. The results showed that the correct poses were generally more stable than the decoy poses under MD. The discrimination capability of MD depends on the strategy. The safest way was to judge a pose as being stable if any one run among five parallel runs was stable under MD. In this case, 95% of the correct poses were retained under MD, and about 25-44% of the decoys could be excluded by the simulations for all cases. On the other hand, if we judge a pose as being stable when any two or three runs were stable, with the risk of incorrectly excluding some correct poses, approximately 31-53% or 39-56% of the two decoys could be excluded by MD, respectively. Our results suggest that simple equilibrium simulations can serve as an effective filter to exclude decoy poses that cannot be distinguished by docking scores from the computationally expensive free-energy calculations.

Development of a rockfall hazard rating matrix for the State of Ohio.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-03-01

Although Ohio is not considered a "mountainous state", it is well documented that rockfalls are prevalent. Rockfalls pose a : considerable risk to traffic safety, create maintenance problems, and exert a strain on limited maintenance funds available ...

Development of a Rockfall Hazard Rating Matrix for the State of Ohio

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-03-01

Although Ohio is not considered a "mountainous state", it is well documented that rockfalls are prevalent. Rockfalls pose a : considerable risk to traffic safety, create maintenance problems, and exert a strain on limited maintenance funds available ...

Designing Solar Data Archives: Practical Considerations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Messerotti, M.

The variety of new solar observatories in space and on the ground poses the stringent problem of an efficient storage and archiving of huge datasets. We briefly address some typical architectures and consider the key point of data access and distribution through networking.

DHS S&T First Responders Group and NATO Counter UAS Proposal Interest Response.

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

Salton, Jonathan R.

The capability, speed, size, and widespread availability of small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS) makes them a serious security concern. The enabling technologies for sUAS are rapidly evolving and so too are the threats they pose to national security. Potential threat vehicles have a small cross-section, and are difficult to reliably detect using purely ground-based systems (e.g. radar or electro-optical) and challenging to target using conventional anti-aircraft defenses. Ground-based sensors are static and suffer from interference with the earth, vegetation and other man-made structures which obscure objects at low altitudes. Because of these challenges, sUAS pose a unique and rapidly evolvingmore » threat to national security.« less

An infant with chronic severe neutropenia

PubMed Central

Bhat, Ramesh Y; Varma, Chaitanya P V; Bhatt, Sonia

2014-01-01

Neutropenia in infancy and childhood poses a diagnostic challenge as the aetiology ranges from acute life-threatening conditions to chronic benign diseases. Chronic benign neutropenia of infancy is a rare disorder occurring in 1:100 000. The neutrophil count continues to be low for a prolonged period until spontaneous resolution by the age of 3–4 years. Such infants are having higher incidences of minor infections requiring treatment with antibiotics and rare incidences of meningitis and sepsis. The authors describe an infant presenting with fever and cervical lymphadenitis, who was found to have isolated severe neutropenia and its persistence posing a diagnostic challenge. The prolonged course with minor infections and absence of serious underlying conditions finally confirmed chronic benign neutropenia of infancy. PMID:24711472

Challenges to effective cancer control in China, India, and Russia.

PubMed

Goss, Paul E; Strasser-Weippl, Kathrin; Lee-Bychkovsky, Brittany L; Fan, Lei; Li, Junjie; Chavarri-Guerra, Yanin; Liedke, Pedro E R; Pramesh, C S; Badovinac-Crnjevic, Tanja; Sheikine, Yuri; Chen, Zhu; Qiao, You-lin; Shao, Zhiming; Wu, Yi-Long; Fan, Daiming; Chow, Louis W C; Wang, Jun; Zhang, Qiong; Yu, Shiying; Shen, Gordon; He, Jie; Purushotham, Arnie; Sullivan, Richard; Badwe, Rajendra; Banavali, Shripad D; Nair, Reena; Kumar, Lalit; Parikh, Purvish; Subramanian, Somasundarum; Chaturvedi, Pankaj; Iyer, Subramania; Shastri, Surendra Srinivas; Digumarti, Raghunadhrao; Soto-Perez-de-Celis, Enrique; Adilbay, Dauren; Semiglazov, Vladimir; Orlov, Sergey; Kaidarova, Dilyara; Tsimafeyeu, Ilya; Tatishchev, Sergei; Danishevskiy, Kirill D; Hurlbert, Marc; Vail, Caroline; St Louis, Jessica; Chan, Arlene

2014-04-01

Cancer is one of the major non-communicable diseases posing a threat to world health. Unfortunately, improvements in socioeconomic conditions are usually associated with increased cancer incidence. In this Commission, we focus on China, India, and Russia, which share rapidly rising cancer incidence and have cancer mortality rates that are nearly twice as high as in the UK or the USA, vast geographies, growing economies, ageing populations, increasingly westernised lifestyles, relatively disenfranchised subpopulations, serious contamination of the environment, and uncontrolled cancer-causing communicable infections. We describe the overall state of health and cancer control in each country and additional specific issues for consideration: for China, access to care, contamination of the environment, and cancer fatalism and traditional medicine; for India, affordability of care, provision of adequate health personnel, and sociocultural barriers to cancer control; and for Russia, monitoring of the burden of cancer, societal attitudes towards cancer prevention, effects of inequitable treatment and access to medicine, and a need for improved international engagement. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of communication media choice on the quality and efficacy of emergency calls assisted by a mobile nursing protocol tool.

PubMed

Castro, Luis A; Favela, Jesus; Garcia-Peña, Carmen

2014-11-01

The transition from paper to electronic-based records in the healthcare industry has posed several challenges to conventional medical practices. The introduction of technology in day-to-day medical and nursing practices deserves careful consideration. In this work, we report the results of a controlled experiment to compare nurses' consultation in emergency calls in six different conditions. We studied the effect that the type of communication media (face-to-face, telephone, videoconference) and type of nursing protocol media (paper-based, electronic-based) can have on consultation time, mistakes made, pauses during consultation, eye contact, and efficacy of the consultation. We found that the type of communication media has an effect on consultation time; on average, fewer mistakes were made during telephone-based consultations; for eye contact, there were significantly fewer eye contacts during face-to-face than during videoconference consultations; finally, the type of communication media or protocol media did not have any effect in the efficacy of the consultation.

A bio-inspired swellable microneedle adhesive for mechanical interlocking with tissue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Seung Yun; O'Cearbhaill, Eoin D.; Sisk, Geoffroy C.; Park, Kyeng Min; Cho, Woo Kyung; Villiger, Martin; Bouma, Brett E.; Pomahac, Bohdan; Karp, Jeffrey M.

2013-04-01

Achieving significant adhesion to soft tissues while minimizing tissue damage poses a considerable clinical challenge. Chemical-based adhesives require tissue-specific reactive chemistry, typically inducing a significant inflammatory response. Staples are fraught with limitations including high-localized tissue stress and increased risk of infection, and nerve and blood vessel damage. Here inspired by the endoparasite Pomphorhynchus laevis, which swells its proboscis to attach to its host’s intestinal wall, we have developed a biphasic microneedle array that mechanically interlocks with tissue through swellable microneedle tips, achieving ~3.5-fold increase in adhesion strength compared with staples in skin graft fixation, and removal force of ~4.5 N cm-2 from intestinal mucosal tissue. Comprising a poly(styrene)-block-poly(acrylic acid) swellable tip and non-swellable polystyrene core, conical microneedles penetrate tissue with minimal insertion force and depth, yet high adhesion strength in their swollen state. Uniquely, this design provides universal soft tissue adhesion with minimal damage, less traumatic removal, reduced risk of infection and delivery of bioactive therapeutics.

Evaluation of Heavy-Chain C-Terminal Deletion on Product Quality and Pharmacokinetics of Monoclonal Antibodies.

PubMed

Jiang, Guoying; Yu, Christopher; Yadav, Daniela B; Hu, Zhilan; Amurao, Annamarie; Duenas, Eileen; Wong, Marc; Iverson, Mark; Zheng, Kai; Lam, Xanthe; Chen, Jia; Vega, Roxanne; Ulufatu, Sheila; Leddy, Cecilia; Davis, Helen; Shen, Amy; Wong, Pin Y; Harris, Reed; Wang, Y John; Li, Dongwei

2016-07-01

Due to their potential influence on stability, pharmacokinetics, and product consistency, antibody charge variants have attracted considerable attention in the biotechnology industry. Subtle to significant differences in the level of charge variants and new charge variants under various cell culture conditions are often observed during routine manufacturing or process changes and pose a challenge when demonstrating product comparability. To explore potential solutions to control charge heterogeneity, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with native, wild-type C-termini, and mutants with C-terminal deletions of either lysine or lysine and glycine were constructed, expressed, purified, and characterized in vitro and in vivo. Analytical and physiological characterization demonstrated that the mAb mutants had greatly reduced levels of basic variants without decreasing antibody biologic activity, structural stability, pharmacokinetics, or subcutaneous bioavailability in rats. This study provides a possible solution to mitigate mAb heterogeneity in C-terminal processing, improve batch-to-batch consistency, and facilitate the comparability study during process changes. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Visual analysis of mass cytometry data by hierarchical stochastic neighbour embedding reveals rare cell types.

PubMed

van Unen, Vincent; Höllt, Thomas; Pezzotti, Nicola; Li, Na; Reinders, Marcel J T; Eisemann, Elmar; Koning, Frits; Vilanova, Anna; Lelieveldt, Boudewijn P F

2017-11-23

Mass cytometry allows high-resolution dissection of the cellular composition of the immune system. However, the high-dimensionality, large size, and non-linear structure of the data poses considerable challenges for the data analysis. In particular, dimensionality reduction-based techniques like t-SNE offer single-cell resolution but are limited in the number of cells that can be analyzed. Here we introduce Hierarchical Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (HSNE) for the analysis of mass cytometry data sets. HSNE constructs a hierarchy of non-linear similarities that can be interactively explored with a stepwise increase in detail up to the single-cell level. We apply HSNE to a study on gastrointestinal disorders and three other available mass cytometry data sets. We find that HSNE efficiently replicates previous observations and identifies rare cell populations that were previously missed due to downsampling. Thus, HSNE removes the scalability limit of conventional t-SNE analysis, a feature that makes it highly suitable for the analysis of massive high-dimensional data sets.

Crosslinguistic application of English-centric rhythm descriptors in motor speech disorders.

PubMed

Liss, Julie M; Utianski, Rene; Lansford, Kaitlin

2013-01-01

Rhythmic disturbances are a hallmark of motor speech disorders, in which the motor control deficits interfere with the outward flow of speech and by extension speech understanding. As the functions of rhythm are language-specific, breakdowns in rhythm should have language-specific consequences for communication. The goals of this paper are to (i) provide a review of the cognitive-linguistic role of rhythm in speech perception in a general sense and crosslinguistically; (ii) present new results of lexical segmentation challenges posed by different types of dysarthria in American English, and (iii) offer a framework for crosslinguistic considerations for speech rhythm disturbances in the diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders associated with motor speech disorders. This review presents theoretical and empirical reasons for considering speech rhythm as a critical component of communication deficits in motor speech disorders, and addresses the need for crosslinguistic research to explore language-universal versus language-specific aspects of motor speech disorders. Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Rational Methods for the Selection of Diverse Screening Compounds

PubMed Central

Huggins, David J.; Venkitaraman, Ashok R.; Spring, David R.

2016-01-01

Traditionally a pursuit of large pharmaceutical companies, high-throughput screening assays are becoming increasingly common within academic and government laboratories. This shift has been instrumental in enabling projects that have not been commercially viable, such as chemical probe discovery and screening against high risk targets. Once an assay has been prepared and validated, it must be fed with screening compounds. Crafting a successful collection of small molecules for screening poses a significant challenge. An optimized collection will minimize false positives whilst maximizing hit rates of compounds that are amenable to lead generation and optimization. Without due consideration of the relevant protein targets and the downstream screening assays, compound filtering and selection can fail to explore the great extent of chemical diversity and eschew valuable novelty. Herein, we discuss the different factors to be considered and methods that may be employed when assembling a structurally diverse compound screening collection. Rational methods for selecting diverse chemical libraries are essential for their effective use in high-throughput screens. PMID:21261294

Revision of the ICH guideline on detection of toxicity to reproduction for medicinal products: SWOT analysis.

PubMed

Barrow, Paul

2016-09-01

SWOT analysis was used to gain insights and perspectives into the revision of the ICH S5(R2) guideline on detection of toxicity to reproduction for medicinal products. The current ICH guideline was rapidly adopted worldwide and has an excellent safety record for more than 20 years. The revised guideline should aim to further improve reproductive and developmental (DART) safety testing for new drugs. Alternative methods to animal experiments should be used whenever possible. Modern technology should be used to obtain high quality data from fewer animals. Additions to the guideline should include considerations on the following: limit dose setting, maternal toxicity, biopharmaceuticals, vaccines, testing strategies by indication, developmental immunotoxicity, and male-mediated developmental toxicity. Emerging issues, such as epigenetics and the microbiome, will most likely pose challenges to DART testing in the future. It is hoped that the new guideline will be adopted even outside the ICH regions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Crosslinguistic Application of English-Centric Rhythm Descriptors in Motor Speech Disorders

PubMed Central

Liss, Julie M.; Utianski, Rene; Lansford, Kaitlin

2014-01-01

Background Rhythmic disturbances are a hallmark of motor speech disorders, in which the motor control deficits interfere with the outward flow of speech and by extension speech understanding. As the functions of rhythm are language-specific, breakdowns in rhythm should have language-specific consequences for communication. Objective The goals of this paper are to (i) provide a review of the cognitive- linguistic role of rhythm in speech perception in a general sense and crosslinguistically; (ii) present new results of lexical segmentation challenges posed by different types of dysarthria in American English, and (iii) offer a framework for crosslinguistic considerations for speech rhythm disturbances in the diagnosis and treatment of communication disorders associated with motor speech disorders. Summary This review presents theoretical and empirical reasons for considering speech rhythm as a critical component of communication deficits in motor speech disorders, and addresses the need for crosslinguistic research to explore language-universal versus language-specific aspects of motor speech disorders. PMID:24157596

Three-dimensional phonon population anisotropy in silicon nanomembranes

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

McElhinny, Kyle M.; Gopalakrishnan, Gokul; Holt, Martin V.

Nanoscale single crystals possess modified phonon dispersions due to the truncation of the crystal. The introduction of surfaces alters the population of phonons relative to the bulk and introduces anisotropy arising from the breaking of translational symmetry. Such modifications exist throughout the Brillouin zone, even in structures with dimensions of several nanometers, posing a challenge to the characterization of vibrational properties and leading to uncertainty in predicting the thermal, optical, and electronic properties of nanomaterials. Synchrotron x-ray thermal diffuse scattering studies find that freestanding Si nanomembranes with thicknesses as large as 21 nm exhibit a higher scattering intensity per unitmore » thickness than bulk silicon. In addition, the anisotropy arising from the finite thickness of these membranes produces particularly intense scattering along reciprocal-space directions normal to the membrane surface compared to corresponding in-plane directions. These results reveal the dimensions at which calculations of materials properties and device characteristics based on bulk phonon dispersions require consideration of the nanoscale size of the crystal.« less

Endoscopic Histologic Mapping of a Mixed Germ Pineal Tumor.

PubMed

Velásquez, Carlos; Rivero-Garvía, Mónica; Rivas, Eloy; Cañizares, María de Los Angeles; Mayorga-Buiza, María José; Márquez-Rivas, Javier

2016-11-01

The accurate histologic diagnosis of germ cell tumors in the pineal region is a keystone for determining the best treatment strategy and prognosis. This situation poses a challenge for the neuropathologist, considering the lack of a standarized procedure to obtain biopsy samples, which results in few and small specimens, which are not suitable for diagnosis. We report a case in which a pineal region mixed germ cell tumor was accurately diagnosed by performing histologic mapping through a dual burr-hole endoscopic approach. The technical pitfalls and other considerations necessary for obtaining an accurate diagnosis in this tumor subgroup are specified. In addition, the histologic analysis regarding the sampling technique used is described. The supraorbital frontal endoscopic approach enables the surgeon to perform histologic mapping of pineal region tumors, allowing standarization of the procedure used to obtain the specimens. This approach could result in a more accurate diagnosis, especially in mixed germ cell neoplasms. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Medicare's bundling pilot: including post-acute care services.

PubMed

Dummit, Laura A

2011-03-28

Fee-for-service Medicare, in which a separate payment is made for each service, rewards health care providers for delivering more services, but not necessarily coordinating those services over time or across settings. To help address these concerns, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 requires Medicare to experiment with making a bundled payment for a hospitalization plus post-acute care, that is, the recuperative or rehabilitative care following a hospital discharge. This bundled payment approach is intended to promote more efficient care across the acute/post-acute episode because the entity that receives the payment has financial incentives to keep episode costs below the payment. Although the entity is expected to control costs through improved care coordination and efficiency, it could stint on care or avoid expensive patients instead. This issue brief focuses on the unique challenges posed by the inclusion of post-acute care services in a payment bundle and special considerations in implementing and evaluating the episode payment approach.

An application of digital network technology to medical image management.

PubMed

Chu, W K; Smith, C L; Wobig, R K; Hahn, F A

1997-01-01

With the advent of network technology, there is considerable interest within the medical community to manage the storage and distribution of medical images by digital means. Higher workflow efficiency leading to better patient care is one of the commonly cited outcomes [1,2]. However, due to the size of medical image files and the unique requirements in detail and resolution, medical image management poses special challenges. Storage requirements are usually large, which implies expenses or investment costs make digital networking projects financially out of reach for many clinical institutions. New advances in network technology and telecommunication, in conjunction with the decreasing cost in computer devices, have made digital image management achievable. In our institution, we have recently completed a pilot project to distribute medical images both within the physical confines of the clinical enterprise as well as outside the medical center campus. The design concept and the configuration of a comprehensive digital image network is described in this report.

The Problem of Auto-Correlation in Parasitology

PubMed Central

Pollitt, Laura C.; Reece, Sarah E.; Mideo, Nicole; Nussey, Daniel H.; Colegrave, Nick

2012-01-01

Explaining the contribution of host and pathogen factors in driving infection dynamics is a major ambition in parasitology. There is increasing recognition that analyses based on single summary measures of an infection (e.g., peak parasitaemia) do not adequately capture infection dynamics and so, the appropriate use of statistical techniques to analyse dynamics is necessary to understand infections and, ultimately, control parasites. However, the complexities of within-host environments mean that tracking and analysing pathogen dynamics within infections and among hosts poses considerable statistical challenges. Simple statistical models make assumptions that will rarely be satisfied in data collected on host and parasite parameters. In particular, model residuals (unexplained variance in the data) should not be correlated in time or space. Here we demonstrate how failure to account for such correlations can result in incorrect biological inference from statistical analysis. We then show how mixed effects models can be used as a powerful tool to analyse such repeated measures data in the hope that this will encourage better statistical practices in parasitology. PMID:22511865

DNA barcoding in the media: does coverage of cool science reflect its social context?

PubMed

Geary, Janis; Camicioli, Emma; Bubela, Tania

2016-09-01

Paul Hebert and colleagues first described DNA barcoding in 2003, which led to international efforts to promote and coordinate its use. Since its inception, DNA barcoding has generated considerable media coverage. We analysed whether this coverage reflected both the scientific and social mandates of international barcoding organizations. We searched newspaper databases to identify 900 English-language articles from 2003 to 2013. Coverage of the science of DNA barcoding was highly positive but lacked context for key topics. Coverage omissions pose challenges for public understanding of the science and applications of DNA barcoding; these included coverage of governance structures and issues related to the sharing of genetic resources across national borders. Our analysis provided insight into how barcoding communication efforts have translated into media coverage; more targeted communication efforts may focus media attention on previously omitted, but important topics. Our analysis is timely as the DNA barcoding community works to establish the International Society for the Barcode of Life.

A Bio-Inspired Swellable Microneedle Adhesive for Mechanical Interlocking with Tissue

PubMed Central

Yang, Seung Yun; O'Cearbhaill, Eoin D.; Sisk, Geoffroy C.; Park, Kyeng Min; Cho, Woo Kyung; Villiger, Martin; Bouma, Brett E.; Pomahac, Bohdan; Karp, Jeffrey M.

2013-01-01

Achieving significant adhesion to soft tissues while minimizing tissue damage poses a considerable clinical challenge. Chemical-based adhesives require tissue-specific reactive chemistry, typically inducing a significant inflammatory response. Staples are fraught with limitations including high-localized tissue stress and increased risk of infection, and nerve and blood vessel damage. Here, inspired by the endoparasite Pomphorhynchus laevis which swells its proboscis to attach to its host’s intestinal wall, we have developed a biphasic microneedle array that mechanically interlocks with tissue through swellable microneedle tips, achieving ~ 3.5 fold increase in adhesion strength compared to staples in skin graft fixation, and removal force of ~ 4.5 N/cm2 from intestinal mucosal tissue. Comprising a poly(styrene)-block-poly(acrylic acid) swellable tip and non-swellable polystyrene core, conical microneedles penetrate tissue with minimal insertion force and depth, yet high adhesion strength in their swollen state. Uniquely, this design provides universal soft tissue adhesion with minimal damage, less traumatic removal, reduced risk of infection and delivery of bioactive therapeutics. PMID:23591869

Orthopaedic Considerations for the Adult With Osteogenesis Imperfecta.

PubMed

Roberts, Timothy T; Cepela, Daniel J; Uhl, Richard L; Lozman, Jeffery

2016-05-01

Osteogenesis imperfecta is a heritable group of collagen-related disorders that affects up to 50,000 people in the United States. Although the disease is most symptomatic in childhood, adults with osteogenesis imperfecta also are affected by the sequelae of the disease. Orthopaedic manifestations include posttraumatic and accelerated degenerative joint disease, kyphoscoliosis, and spondylolisthesis. Other manifestations of abnormal collagen include brittle dentition, hearing loss, cardiac valve abnormalities, and basilar invagination. In general, nonsurgical treatment is preferred for management of acute fractures. High rates of malunion, nonunion, and subsequent deformity have been reported with both closed and open treatment. When surgery is necessary, surgeons should opt for load-sharing intramedullary devices that span the entire length of the bone; locking plates and excessively rigid fixation generally should be avoided. Arthroplasty may be considered for active patients, but the procedure frequently is associated with complications in this patient population. Underlying deformities, such as malunion, bowing, rotational malalignment, coxa vara, and acetabular protrusio, pose specific surgical challenges and underscore the importance of preoperative planning.

Kazakh Traditional Dance Gesture Recognition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nussipbekov, A. K.; Amirgaliyev, E. N.; Hahn, Minsoo

2014-04-01

Full body gesture recognition is an important and interdisciplinary research field which is widely used in many application spheres including dance gesture recognition. The rapid growth of technology in recent years brought a lot of contribution in this domain. However it is still challenging task. In this paper we implement Kazakh traditional dance gesture recognition. We use Microsoft Kinect camera to obtain human skeleton and depth information. Then we apply tree-structured Bayesian network and Expectation Maximization algorithm with K-means clustering to calculate conditional linear Gaussians for classifying poses. And finally we use Hidden Markov Model to detect dance gestures. Our main contribution is that we extend Kinect skeleton by adding headwear as a new skeleton joint which is calculated from depth image. This novelty allows us to significantly improve the accuracy of head gesture recognition of a dancer which in turn plays considerable role in whole body gesture recognition. Experimental results show the efficiency of the proposed method and that its performance is comparable to the state-of-the-art system performances.

Using constitutive activity to define appropriate high-throughput screening assays for orphan g protein-coupled receptors.

PubMed

Ngo, Tony; Coleman, James L J; Smith, Nicola J

2015-01-01

Orphan G protein-coupled receptors represent an underexploited resource for drug discovery but pose a considerable challenge for assay development because their cognate G protein signaling pathways are often unknown. In this methodological chapter, we describe the use of constitutive activity, that is, the inherent ability of receptors to couple to their cognate G proteins in the absence of ligand, to inform the development of high-throughput screening assays for a particular orphan receptor. We specifically focus on a two-step process, whereby constitutive G protein coupling is first determined using yeast Gpa1/human G protein chimeras linked to growth and β-galactosidase generation. Coupling selectivity is then confirmed in mammalian cells expressing endogenous G proteins and driving accumulation of transcription factor-fused luciferase reporters specific to each of the classes of G protein. Based on these findings, high-throughput screening campaigns can be performed on the already miniaturized mammalian reporter system.

Active capping technology: a new environmental remediation of contaminated sediment.

PubMed

Zhang, Chang; Zhu, Meng-Ying; Zeng, Guang-Ming; Yu, Zhi-Gang; Cui, Fang; Yang, Zhong-Zhu; Shen, Liu-Qing

2016-03-01

The management and treatment of contaminated sediment is a worldwide problem and poses major technical and economic challenges. Nowadays, various attempts have been committed to investigating a cost-effective way in contaminated sediment restoration. Among the remediation options, in situ capping turns out to be a less expensive, less disruptive, and more durable approach. However, by using the low adsorption capacity materials, traditional caps do not always fulfill the reduction of risks that can be destructive for human health, ecosystem, and even natural resources. Active caps, therefore, are designed to employ active materials (activated carbon, apatite, zeolite, organoclay, etc.) to strengthen their adsorption and degradation capacity. The active capping technology promises to be a permanent and cost-efficient solution to contaminated sediments. This paper provides a review on the types of active materials and the ways of these active materials employed in recent active capping studies. Cap design considerations including site-specific conditions, diffusion/advection, erosive forces, and active material selection that should be noticed in an eligible remediation project are also presented.

Right ventricular sarcoidosis: is it time for updated diagnostic criteria?

PubMed

Vakil, Kairav; Minami, Elina; Fishbein, Daniel P

2014-04-01

A 55-year-old woman with a history of complete heart block, atrial flutter, and progressive right ventricular failure was referred to our tertiary care center to be evaluated for cardiac transplantation. The patient's clinical course included worsening right ventricular dysfunction for 3 years before the current evaluation. Our clinical findings raised concerns about arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy. Noninvasive imaging, including a positron emission tomographic scan, did not reveal obvious myocardial pathologic conditions. Given the end-stage nature of the patient's right ventricular failure and her dependence on inotropic agents, she underwent urgent listing and subsequent heart transplantation. Pathologic examination of the explanted heart revealed isolated right ventricular sarcoidosis with replacement fibrosis. Biopsy samples of the cardiac allograft 6 months after transplantation showed no recurrence of sarcoidosis. This atypical presentation of isolated cardiac sarcoidosis posed a considerable diagnostic challenge. In addition to discussing the patient's case, we review the relevant medical literature and discuss the need for updated differential diagnostic criteria for end-stage right ventricular failure that mimics arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy.

The skin as a window to the blood: Cutaneous manifestations of myeloid malignancies.

PubMed

Li, Alvin W; Yin, Emily S; Stahl, Maximilian; Kim, Tae Kon; Panse, Gauri; Zeidan, Amer M; Leventhal, Jonathan S

2017-11-01

Cutaneous manifestations of myeloid malignancies are common and have a broad range of presentations. These skin findings are classified as specific, due to direct infiltration by malignant hematopoietic cells, or non-specific. Early recognition and diagnosis can have significant clinical implications, as skin manifestations may be the first indication of underlying hematologic malignancy, can reflect the immune status and stage of disease, and cutaneous reactions may occur from conventional and targeted agents used to treat myeloid disease. In addition, infections with cutaneous involvement are common in immunocompromised patients with myeloid disease. Given the varying presentations, dermatologic findings associated with myeloid malignancies can pose diagnostic challenges for hematologists and dermatologists. In this clinical review intended for the practicing hematologist/oncologist, we discuss the presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and prognostic value of the most common cutaneous manifestations associated with myeloid malignancies using illustrative macro- and microscopic figures and with a special emphasis on practical considerations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

When is irritable bowel syndrome not irritable bowel syndrome? Diagnosis and treatment of chronic functional abdominal pain.

PubMed

Grover, Madhusudan

2012-08-01

Functional abdominal pain syndrome (FAPS) is a distinct chronic gastrointestinal (GI) pain disorder characterized by the presence of constant or frequently recurring abdominal pain that is not associated with eating, change in bowel habits, or menstrual periods. The pain experience in FAPS is predominantly centrally driven as compared to other chronic painful GI conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease and chronic pancreatitis where peripherally acting factors play a major role in driving the pain. Psychosocial factors are often integrally associated with the disorder and can pose significant challenges to evaluation and treatment. Patients suffer from considerable loss of function, which can drive health care utilization. Treatment options are limited at best with most therapeutic regimens extrapolated from pain management of other functional GI disorders and chronic pain conditions. A comprehensive approach to management using a biopsychosocial construct and collaboration with pain specialists and psychiatry is most beneficial to the management of this disorder.

Stabilization of Proteins and Noncovalent Protein Complexes during Electrospray Ionization by Amino Acid Additives.

PubMed

Zhang, Hua; Lu, Haiyan; Chingin, Konstantin; Chen, Huanwen

2015-07-21

Ionization of proteins and noncovalent protein complexes with minimal disturbance to their native structure presents a great challenge for biological mass spectrometry (MS). In living organisms, the native structure of intracellular proteins is commonly stabilized by solute amino acids (AAs) accumulated in cells at very high concentrations. Inspired by nature, we hypothesized that AAs could also pose a stabilizing effect on the native structure of proteins and noncovalent protein complexes during ionization. To test this hypothesis, here we explored MS response for various protein complexes upon the addition of free AAs at mM concentrations into the electrospray ionization (ESI) solution. Thermal activation of ESI droplets in the MS inlet capillary was employed as a model destabilizing factor during ionization. Our results indicate that certain AAs, in particular proline (Pro), pose considerable positive effect on the stability of noncovalent protein complexes in ESI-MS without affecting the signal intensity of protein ions and original protein-ligand equilibrium, even when added at the 20 mM concentration. The data suggest that the degree of protein stabilization is primarily determined by the osmolytic and ampholytic characteristics of AA solutes. The highest stability and visibility of noncovalent protein complexes in ESI-MS are achieved using AA additives with neutral isoelectric point, moderate proton affinity, and unfavorable interaction with the native protein state. Overall, our results indicate that the simple addition of free amino acids into the working solution can notably improve the stability and accuracy of protein analysis by native ESI-MS.

A novel combined interventional radiologic and hepatobiliary surgical approach to a complex traumatic hilar biliary stricture.

PubMed

NeMoyer, Rachel E; Shah, Mihir M; Hasan, Omar; Nosher, John L; Carpizo, Darren R

2018-01-01

Benign strictures of the biliary system are challenging and uncommon conditions requiring a multidisciplinary team for appropriate management. The patient is a 32-year-old male that developed a hilar stricture as sequelae of a gunshot wound. Due to the complex nature of the stricture and scarring at the porta hepatis a combined interventional radiologic and surgical approach was carried out to approach the hilum of the right and left hepatic ducts. The location of this stricture was found by ultrasound guidance intraoperatively using a balloon tipped catheter placed under fluoroscopy in the interventional radiology suite prior to surgery. This allowed the surgeons to select the line of parenchymal transection for best visualization of the stricture. A left hepatectomy was performed, the internal stent located and the right hepatic duct opened tangentially to allow a side-to-side Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy (a Puestow-like anastomosis). Injury to the intrahepatic biliary ductal confluence is rarely fatal, however, the associated injuries lead to severe morbidity as seen in this example. Management of these injuries poses a considerable challenge to the surgeon and treating physicians. Here we describe an innovative multi-disciplinary approach to the repair of this rare injury. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

BIG DATA ANALYTICS AND PRECISION ANIMAL AGRICULTURE SYMPOSIUM: Machine learning and data mining advance predictive big data analysis in precision animal agriculture.

PubMed

Morota, Gota; Ventura, Ricardo V; Silva, Fabyano F; Koyama, Masanori; Fernando, Samodha C

2018-04-14

Precision animal agriculture is poised to rise to prominence in the livestock enterprise in the domains of management, production, welfare, sustainability, health surveillance, and environmental footprint. Considerable progress has been made in the use of tools to routinely monitor and collect information from animals and farms in a less laborious manner than before. These efforts have enabled the animal sciences to embark on information technology-driven discoveries to improve animal agriculture. However, the growing amount and complexity of data generated by fully automated, high-throughput data recording or phenotyping platforms, including digital images, sensor and sound data, unmanned systems, and information obtained from real-time noninvasive computer vision, pose challenges to the successful implementation of precision animal agriculture. The emerging fields of machine learning and data mining are expected to be instrumental in helping meet the daunting challenges facing global agriculture. Yet, their impact and potential in "big data" analysis have not been adequately appreciated in the animal science community, where this recognition has remained only fragmentary. To address such knowledge gaps, this article outlines a framework for machine learning and data mining and offers a glimpse into how they can be applied to solve pressing problems in animal sciences.

Uncorrected refractive errors

PubMed Central

Naidoo, Kovin S; Jaggernath, Jyoti

2012-01-01

Global estimates indicate that more than 2.3 billion people in the world suffer from poor vision due to refractive error; of which 670 million people are considered visually impaired because they do not have access to corrective treatment. Refractive errors, if uncorrected, results in an impaired quality of life for millions of people worldwide, irrespective of their age, sex and ethnicity. Over the past decade, a series of studies using a survey methodology, referred to as Refractive Error Study in Children (RESC), were performed in populations with different ethnic origins and cultural settings. These studies confirmed that the prevalence of uncorrected refractive errors is considerably high for children in low-and-middle-income countries. Furthermore, uncorrected refractive error has been noted to have extensive social and economic impacts, such as limiting educational and employment opportunities of economically active persons, healthy individuals and communities. The key public health challenges presented by uncorrected refractive errors, the leading cause of vision impairment across the world, require urgent attention. To address these issues, it is critical to focus on the development of human resources and sustainable methods of service delivery. This paper discusses three core pillars to addressing the challenges posed by uncorrected refractive errors: Human Resource (HR) Development, Service Development and Social Entrepreneurship. PMID:22944755

Biomaterials and Advanced Technologies for Hemostatic Management of Bleeding.

PubMed

Hickman, DaShawn A; Pawlowski, Christa L; Sekhon, Ujjal D S; Marks, Joyann; Gupta, Anirban Sen

2018-01-01

Bleeding complications arising from trauma, surgery, and as congenital, disease-associated, or drug-induced blood disorders can cause significant morbidities and mortalities in civilian and military populations. Therefore, stoppage of bleeding (hemostasis) is of paramount clinical significance in prophylactic, surgical, and emergency scenarios. For externally accessible injuries, a variety of natural and synthetic biomaterials have undergone robust research, leading to hemostatic technologies including glues, bandages, tamponades, tourniquets, dressings, and procoagulant powders. In contrast, treatment of internal noncompressible hemorrhage still heavily depends on transfusion of whole blood or blood's hemostatic components (platelets, fibrinogen, and coagulation factors). Transfusion of platelets poses significant challenges of limited availability, high cost, contamination risks, short shelf-life, low portability, performance variability, and immunological side effects, while use of fibrinogen or coagulation factors provides only partial mechanisms for hemostasis. With such considerations, significant interdisciplinary research endeavors have been focused on developing materials and technologies that can be manufactured conveniently, sterilized to minimize contamination and enhance shelf-life, and administered intravenously to mimic, leverage, and amplify physiological hemostatic mechanisms. Here, a comprehensive review regarding the various topical, intracavitary, and intravenous hemostatic technologies in terms of materials, mechanisms, and state-of-art is provided, and challenges and opportunities to help advancement of the field are discussed. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Control of a HexaPOD treatment couch for robot-assisted radiotherapy.

PubMed

Hermann, Christian; Ma, Lei; Wilbert, Jürgen; Baier, Kurt; Schilling, Klaus

2012-10-01

Moving tumors, for example in the vicinity of the lungs, pose a challenging problem in radiotherapy, as healthy tissue should not be irradiated. Apart from gating approaches, one standard method is to irradiate the complete volume within which a tumor moves plus a safety margin containing a considerable volume of healthy tissue. This work deals with a system for tumor motion compensation using the HexaPOD® robotic treatment couch (Medical Intelligence GmbH, Schwabmünchen, Germany). The HexaPOD, carrying the patient during treatment, is instructed to perform translational movements such that the tumor motion, from the beams-eye view of the linear accelerator, is eliminated. The dynamics of the HexaPOD are characterized by time delays, saturations, and other non-linearities that make the design of control a challenging task. The focus of this work lies on two control methods for the HexaPOD that can be used for reference tracking. The first method uses a model predictive controller based on a model gained through system identification methods, and the second method uses a position control scheme useful for reference tracking. We compared the tracking performance of both methods in various experiments with real hardware using ideal reference trajectories, prerecorded patient trajectories, and human volunteers whose breathing motion was compensated by the system.

Tumour heterogeneity poses a significant challenge to cancer biomarker research

PubMed Central

Cyll, Karolina; Ersvær, Elin; Vlatkovic, Ljiljana; Pradhan, Manohar; Kildal, Wanja; Avranden Kjær, Marte; Kleppe, Andreas; Hveem, Tarjei S; Carlsen, Birgitte; Gill, Silje; Löffeler, Sven; Haug, Erik Skaaheim; Wæhre, Håkon; Sooriakumaran, Prasanna; Danielsen, Håvard E

2017-01-01

Background: The high degree of genomic diversity in cancer represents a challenge for identifying objective prognostic markers. We aimed to examine the extent of tumour heterogeneity and its effect on the evaluation of a selected prognostic marker using prostate cancer as a model. Methods: We assessed Gleason Score (GS), DNA ploidy status and phosphatase and tensin homologue (PTEN) expression in radical prostatectomy specimens (RP) from 304 patients followed for a median of 10 years (interquartile range 6–12). GS was assessed for every tumour-containing block and DNA ploidy for a median of four samples for each RP. In a subgroup of 40 patients we assessed DNA ploidy and PTEN status in every tumour-containing block. In 102 patients assigned to active surveillance (AS), GS and DNA ploidy were studied in needle biopsies. Results: Extensive heterogeneity was observed for GS (89% of the patients) and DNA ploidy (40% of the patients) in the cohort, and DNA ploidy (60% of the patients) and PTEN expression (75% of the patients) in the subgroup. DNA ploidy was a significant prognostic marker when heterogeneity was taken into consideration. In the AS cohort we found heterogeneity in GS (24%) and in DNA ploidy (25%) specimens. Conclusions: Multi-sample analysis should be performed to support clinical treatment decisions. PMID:28618431

Pose estimation of industrial objects towards robot operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Jie; Zhou, Fuqiang; Tan, Haishu; Cao, Yu

2017-10-01

With the advantages of wide range, non-contact and high flexibility, the visual estimation technology of target pose has been widely applied in modern industry, robot guidance and other engineering practices. However, due to the influence of complicated industrial environment, outside interference factors, lack of object characteristics, restrictions of camera and other limitations, the visual estimation technology of target pose is still faced with many challenges. Focusing on the above problems, a pose estimation method of the industrial objects is developed based on 3D models of targets. By matching the extracted shape characteristics of objects with the priori 3D model database of targets, the method realizes the recognition of target. Thus a pose estimation of objects can be determined based on the monocular vision measuring model. The experimental results show that this method can be implemented to estimate the position of rigid objects based on poor images information, and provides guiding basis for the operation of the industrial robot.

Robust Head-Pose Estimation Based on Partially-Latent Mixture of Linear Regressions.

PubMed

Drouard, Vincent; Horaud, Radu; Deleforge, Antoine; Ba, Sileye; Evangelidis, Georgios

2017-03-01

Head-pose estimation has many applications, such as social event analysis, human-robot and human-computer interaction, driving assistance, and so forth. Head-pose estimation is challenging, because it must cope with changing illumination conditions, variabilities in face orientation and in appearance, partial occlusions of facial landmarks, as well as bounding-box-to-face alignment errors. We propose to use a mixture of linear regressions with partially-latent output. This regression method learns to map high-dimensional feature vectors (extracted from bounding boxes of faces) onto the joint space of head-pose angles and bounding-box shifts, such that they are robustly predicted in the presence of unobservable phenomena. We describe in detail the mapping method that combines the merits of unsupervised manifold learning techniques and of mixtures of regressions. We validate our method with three publicly available data sets and we thoroughly benchmark four variants of the proposed algorithm with several state-of-the-art head-pose estimation methods.

3D ocular ultrasound using gaze tracking on the contralateral eye: a feasibility study.

PubMed

Afsham, Narges; Najafi, Mohammad; Abolmaesumi, Purang; Rohling, Robert

2011-01-01

A gaze-deviated examination of the eye with a 2D ultrasound transducer is a common and informative ophthalmic test; however, the complex task of the pose estimation of the ultrasound images relative to the eye affects 3D interpretation. To tackle this challenge, a novel system for 3D image reconstruction based on gaze tracking of the contralateral eye has been proposed. The gaze fixates on several target points and, for each fixation, the pose of the examined eye is inferred from the gaze tracking. A single camera system has been developed for pose estimation combined with subject-specific parameter identification. The ultrasound images are then transformed to the coordinate system of the examined eye to create a 3D volume. Accuracy of the proposed gaze tracking system and the pose estimation of the eye have been validated in a set of experiments. Overall system error, including pose estimation and calibration, are 3.12 mm and 4.68 degrees.

Predicting binding poses and affinities for protein - ligand complexes in the 2015 D3R Grand Challenge using a physical model with a statistical parameter estimation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grudinin, Sergei; Kadukova, Maria; Eisenbarth, Andreas; Marillet, Simon; Cazals, Frédéric

2016-09-01

The 2015 D3R Grand Challenge provided an opportunity to test our new model for the binding free energy of small molecules, as well as to assess our protocol to predict binding poses for protein-ligand complexes. Our pose predictions were ranked 3-9 for the HSP90 dataset, depending on the assessment metric. For the MAP4K dataset the ranks are very dispersed and equal to 2-35, depending on the assessment metric, which does not provide any insight into the accuracy of the method. The main success of our pose prediction protocol was the re-scoring stage using the recently developed Convex-PL potential. We make a thorough analysis of our docking predictions made with AutoDock Vina and discuss the effect of the choice of rigid receptor templates, the number of flexible residues in the binding pocket, the binding pocket size, and the benefits of re-scoring. However, the main challenge was to predict experimentally determined binding affinities for two blind test sets. Our affinity prediction model consisted of two terms, a pairwise-additive enthalpy, and a non pairwise-additive entropy. We trained the free parameters of the model with a regularized regression using affinity and structural data from the PDBBind database. Our model performed very well on the training set, however, failed on the two test sets. We explain the drawback and pitfalls of our model, in particular in terms of relative coverage of the test set by the training set and missed dynamical properties from crystal structures, and discuss different routes to improve it.

Gravitational Wave Science: Challenges for Numerical Relativistic Astrophysics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cenrella, Joan

2005-01-01

Gravitational wave detectors on earth and in space will open up a new observational window on the universe. The new information about astrophysics and fundamental physics these observations will bring is expected to pose exciting challenges. This talk will provide an overview of this emerging area of gravitational wave science, with a focus on the challenges it will bring for numerical relativistic astrophysics and a look at some recent results.

Exploration Design Challenge 2014

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-25

Team ARES poses with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Lockheed Martin CEO, Marillyn Hewson. Team ARES was the winner of the Exploration Design Challenge. The goal of the Exploration Design Challenge is for students to research and design ways to protect astronauts from space radiation. The winning team was announced on April 25, 2014 at the USA Science and Engineering Festival at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Web-Scale Search-Based Data Extraction and Integration

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-10-17

differently, posing challenges for aggregating this information. For example, for the task of finding population for cities in Benin, we were faced with...merged record. Our GeoMerging algorithm attempts to address various ambiguity challenges : • For name: The name of a hospital is not a unique...departments in the same building. For agent-extractor results from structured sources, our GeoMerging algorithm overcomes these challenges using a two

Green Flight Challenge

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-28

e-Genius Aircraft Pilot Klaus Ohlmann poses for a photograph during the 2011 Green Flight Challenge, sponsored by Google, held at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, Calif. on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011. NASA and the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation are having the challenge with the goal to advance technologies in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions with cleaner renewable fuels and electric aircraft. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Green Flight Challenge

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-28

e-Genius Aircraft Pilot Eric Raymond poses for a photograph during the 2011 Green Flight Challenge, sponsored by Google, held at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, Calif. on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011. NASA and the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation are having the challenge with the goal to advance technologies in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions with cleaner renewable fuels and electric aircraft. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Green Flight Challenge

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-28

PhoEnix Aircraft Co-Pilot Jeff Shingleton poses for a photograph during the 2011 Green Flight Challenge, sponsored by Google, held at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, Calif. on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011. NASA and the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation are having the challenge with the goal to advance technologies in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions with cleaner renewable fuels and electric aircraft. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Green Flight Challenge

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-28

PhoEnix Aircraft Pilot Jim Lee poses for a photograph during the 2011 Green Flight Challenge, sponsored by Google, held at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, Calif. on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011. NASA and the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation are having the challenge with the goal to advance technologies in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions with cleaner renewable fuels and electric aircraft. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Green Flight Challenge

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-28

EcoEagle Aircraft Pilot Mikhael Ponso poses for a photograph during the 2011 Green Flight Challenge, sponsored by Google, held at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, Calif. on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011. NASA and the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation are having the challenge with the goal to advance technologies in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions with cleaner renewable fuels and electric aircraft. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

A Donor-Focused Fundraising Model: An Essential Tool in Community College Foundations' Toolkit

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Linnie S.

2011-01-01

The increased focus on private fundraising poses challenges for community colleges (Jackson & Glass, 2000). A challenge is a lack of fundraising experience within community colleges and their foundations. There now exists a donor-focused fundraising model for community colleges to use to enhance their fundraising initiatives and increase the…

"How Can I Help?": Practicing Familial Support through Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coughlin, April B.; Dotger, Benjamin H.

2016-01-01

Teachers face numerous challenges in daily practice, including situations that involve the health, safety, and well-being of students and families. When harassment and physical abuse impact K-12 students, these situations pose unexpected challenges to novice teachers working to support their students. In this article, the authors report on a study…

A Strategy to Support Educational Leaders in Developing Countries to Manage Contextual Challenges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolhuter, Charl; van der Walt, Hannes; Steyn, Hennie

2016-01-01

The central theoretical argument of this paper is that educational leadership and organisational development and change in educational institutions in developing countries will not be effective unless school leaders are aware of the challenges posed by contextual factors that might have an impact on their professional activities. The article…

Experimental Evidence for Diagramming Benefits in Science Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barstow, Brendan; Fazio, Lisa; Schunn, Christian; Ashley, Kevin

2017-01-01

Arguing for the need for a scientific research study (i.e. writing an introduction to a research paper) poses significant challenges for students. When faced with these challenges, students often generate overly safe replications (i.e. fail to find and include opposition to their hypothesis) or in contrast include no strong support for their…

Places to Go: Challenges to Multicultural Art Education in a Global Economy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Desai, Dipti

2005-01-01

This article examines the relationship between globalization and postmodern multicultural art education. The questions that drive my investigation are: What is the role of postmodern multiculturalism in this current phase of globalization and what challenges does globalization pose for multiculturalism? I explore the shifts in the field of art…

A Systematic Approach to Faculty Development--Capability Improvement for Blended Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badawood, Ashraf; Steenkamp, Annette Lerine; Al-Werfalli, Daw

2013-01-01

Blended learning (BL) provides an efficient and effective instructional experience. However, adopting a BL approach poses some challenges to faculty; the most important obstacle found in this research is faculty's lack of knowledge regarding the use of technology in their teaching. This challenge prompted the research project focused on improving…

Governing during an Institutional Crisis: 10 Fundamental Principles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Lawrence

2012-01-01

In today's world, managing a campus crisis poses special challenges for an institution's governing board, which may operate some distance removed from the immediate events giving rise to the crisis. In its most challenging form, a campus crisis--a shooting, a natural disaster, a fraternity hazing death, the arrest of a prominent campus…

Teaching Caribbean Students: Research on Social Issues in the Caribbean and Abroad.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bastick, Tony, Ed.; Ezenne, Austin, Ed.

The issues and findings in the research essays in this collection focus on two main themes: the identification of challenges in preparing Caribbean students for the new global network and the isolation of the challenges posed in developing these global relations. Part 1, "Socially Sensitive Pedagogies," contains: (1) "Domain-Specific Modern…

Using Testimonial Response to Frame the Challenges and Possibilities of Risky Historical Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Damico, James; Apol, Laura

2008-01-01

Literature that vividly and explicitly describes (often in the form of testimonies from one or more characters) traumatic and/or catastrophic events of human history poses particular challenges for readers. This article proposes testimonial response as one approach to responding to these "risky historical texts." By way of introducing "testimonial…

Investigating Factors Affecting Group Processes in Virtual Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hazari, Sunil; Thompson, Sandra

2015-01-01

With the widespread popularity of distance learning, there is a need to investigate elements of online courses that continue to pose significant challenges for educators. One of the challenges relates to creating and managing group projects. This study investigated business students' perceptions of group work in online classes. The constructs of…

Using Facebook to Engage Learners in a Large Introductory Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, Kevin D.; Andercheck, Brita

2014-01-01

Classes of hundreds pose special challenges for teaching and learning. Notable among these challenges is the tendency for students to feel like anonymous spectators rather than active, collaborative participants. To combat this tendency, we used the popular social networking site Facebook to cultivate a sense of community among 200-plus students…

Using System Dynamics as an Evaluation Tool: Experience from a Demonstration Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fredericks, Kimberly A.; Deegan, Michael; Carman, Joanne G.

2008-01-01

Evaluators are often faced with many challenges in the design and implementation of a program's evaluation. Because programs are entangled in complex networks of structures and stakeholders, they can be challenging to understand, and they often pose issues of competing and conflicting goals. However, by using a systems mapping approach to…

The Dynamics of Multicultural NPD Teams in Virtual Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fain, Nusa; Kline, Miro

2013-01-01

Changes in the business environment, responses of companies to these changes and the available information and communication technologies (ICT) pose a number of challenges to present and future product developers, as well as to educational institutions. An appropriate response to these challenges is to create a solid basis for strategies to combat…

Review of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for Automated Vehicles : Identifying Potential Barriers and Challenges for the Certification of Automated Vehicles Using Existing FMVSS

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-03-11

The purpose of this work is to identify instances where the existing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards may pose challenges to the introduction of automated vehicles. It identifies standards requiring further review - both to ensure that existing...

Planning the future's forests with assisted migration

Treesearch

Mary I. Williams; R. Kasten Dumroese

2014-01-01

Studies show that changes in climate may exceed plant adaptation and migration. The mismatch in rates between climate change and plant adaptation and migration will pose significant challenges for practitioners that select, grow, and outplant native tree species. Native tree species and populations that are planted today must meet the climatic challenges that they will...

Managing Welfare Reform in Five States: The Challenge of Devolution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liebschutz, Sarah F., Ed.

This book analyzes the responses of five states (Florida, Mississippi, New York, Washington, and Wisconsin) to challenges posed by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to alter state welfare programs and management systems. Using case studies, the book highlights similarities and differences in the states'…

Reading Desire: From Empathy to Estrangement, from Enlightenment to Implication

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Lisa K.

2007-01-01

The imperial hubris, insecurities and indifference of our bloody new millennium pose profound challenges to feminist anti-racist and anti-colonial educators. For those of us who turn to literature education to create spaces of sustained moral reflection, there is a particular challenge to think through the kinds of reading practices which might…

Responding to the Mental Health and Well-Being Agenda in Adult Community Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Lydia

2014-01-01

In the United Kingdom, changes in the policy, funding and commissioning landscape for mental health and well-being are posing opportunities and challenges for adult community learning (ACL). Opportunities include increased recognition of, and funding for, the "wider benefits" of learning, whereas challenges include the risks of ACL…

Muslim Learners in English Schools: A Challenge for School Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Saeeda

2009-01-01

Faith identity is emerging as significant for Muslim students in the post 9/11 scenario, with implications for their education and wider social cohesion. This poses challenges to school leaders, raising issues not only linked to student achievement and performance, but also with regard to students' identity constructions and their educational…

Automating a Massive Online Course with Cluster Computing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haas, Timothy C.

2016-01-01

Before massive numbers of students can take online courses for college credit, the challenges of providing tutoring support, answers to student-posed questions, and the control of cheating will need to be addressed. These challenges are taken up here by developing an online course delivery system that runs in a cluster computing environment and is…

Ethical Challenges of In-The-Field Training: A Surgical Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernstein, Mark; Knifed, Eva

2007-01-01

The teaching of professions in which technical and manual acts combined with excellent judgment are used to enhance the safety of people, poses challenges to educators. Book learning combined with mock or simulated situations goes a long way, but ultimately "in-the-field" instruction and learning is necessary to qualify trainees for many…

Towards a Clearer Understanding of Student Disadvantage in Higher Education: Problematising Deficit Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smit, Renee

2012-01-01

The increased diversity in the student body resulting from massification poses particular challenges to higher education. This article engages the uncritical use of the "disadvantage" discourse and its effect on pedagogy. It explores some of the challenges of coping with student diversity, with particular reference to the South African…

From a Semiotic Perspective: Inference Formation and the Critical Comprehension of Television Advertising.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langrehr, Don

2003-01-01

Outlines a study in which television advertising supplied the text that college students were challenged to interpret. Explains that the language and images of this advertising posed a complex, cognitive challenge--even to these students at advanced levels of education. Concludes that information processing of television advertising presents a…

Challenges to Common Core State Standards Implementation: Views from Six States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Joanna; Thier, Michael

2017-01-01

The implementation of the Common Core State Standards has posed a number of challenges for school leaders. This study applies a policy implementation conceptual framework to analyze data gathered from 46 interviews in six states. Findings suggest the existence of multiple barriers to Common Core State Standards implementation. To promote…

US EPA - A*Star Partnership - Accelerating the Acceptance of Next-Generation Sciences and Their Application to Regulatory Risk Assessment (A*Star Symposium, Singapore)

EPA Science Inventory

The path for incorporating new alternative methods and technologies into quantitative chemical risk assessment poses a diverse set of scientific challenges. Some of these challenges include development of relevant and predictive test systems and computational models to integrate...

Autonomy in Second Language Phonology: Choice vs. Limits

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moyer, Alene

2017-01-01

Learning a new sound system poses challenges of a social, psychological, and cognitive nature, but the learner's decisions are key to ultimate attainment. This presentation focuses on two essential concepts: CHOICE, or how one wants to sound in the target language; and LIMITS, or various challenges to one's goals vis-a-vis accent. Qualitative and…

Business Process Reengineering towards an Integrated Learning Management System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Basal, Abdelraheem Mousa

2010-01-01

The task of managing an information technology (IT) system in a school environment poses unique challenges. For example, one of the greatest challenges facing individual schools is the lack of integration among various information systems. The present situation in many schools is that there are many disconnected systems managing many different…

The Challenge of the Community College to the Church.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hallman, W. E., Ed.

The ten essays presented in this collection address various aspects of the relationship of the church and the community college. In the first two essays, C. Freeman Sleeper examines the challenges posed by community colleges to the church's traditional support of higher education and, then, discusses approaches to addressing the moral issues…

Artists, Creativity and Knowledge: A Challenge for Doctoral Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Maggi

2009-01-01

This paper aims to extrapolate the difficulties and challenges posed by ideas about creativity principally in the context of doctoral theses in which the practices of dance play a prominent, if not, pivotal role. While resisting definitive transparency, creativity is a crucial marker as much for postgraduate scholars as it is for artists. The…

Captions and Reduced Forms Instruction: The Impact on EFL Students' Listening Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Jie Chi; Chang, Peichin

2014-01-01

For many EFL learners, listening poses a grave challenge. The difficulty in segmenting a stream of speech and limited capacity in short-term memory are common weaknesses for language learners. Specifically, reduced forms, which frequently appear in authentic informal conversations, compound the challenges in listening comprehension. Numerous…

Plate Tectonics: A Paradigm under Threat.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pratt, David

2000-01-01

Discusses the challenges confronting plate tectonics. Presents evidence that contradicts continental drift, seafloor spreading, and subduction. Reviews problems posed by vertical tectonic movements. (Contains 242 references.) (DDR)

Design of Phase I Combination Trials: Recommendations of the Clinical Trial Design Task Force of the NCI Investigational Drug Steering Committee

PubMed Central

Paller, Channing J.; Bradbury, Penelope A.; Ivy, S. Percy; Seymour, Lesley; LoRusso, Patricia M.; Baker, Laurence; Rubinstein, Larry; Huang, Erich; Collyar, Deborah; Groshen, Susan; Reeves, Steven; Ellis, Lee M.; Sargent, Daniel J.; Rosner, Gary L.; LeBlanc, Michael L.; Ratain, Mark J.

2014-01-01

Anticancer drugs are combined in an effort to treat a heterogeneous tumor or to maximize the pharmacodynamic effect. The development of combination regimens, while desirable, poses unique challenges. These include the selection of agents for combination therapy that may lead to improved efficacy while maintaining acceptable toxicity, the design of clinical trials that provide informative results for individual agents and combinations, and logistical and regulatory challenges. The phase 1 trial is often the initial step in the clinical evaluation of a combination regimen. In view of the importance of combination regimens and the challenges associated with developing them, the Clinical Trial Design (CTD) Task Force of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Investigational Drug Steering Committee developed a set of recommendations for the phase 1 development of a combination regimen. The first two recommendations focus on the scientific rationale and development plans for the combination regimen; subsequent recommendations encompass clinical design aspects. The CTD Task Force recommends that selection of the proposed regimens be based on a biological or pharmacological rationale supported by clinical and/or robust and validated preclinical evidence, and accompanied by a plan for subsequent development of the combination. The design of the phase 1 clinical trial should take into consideration the potential pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions as well as overlapping toxicity. Depending on the specific hypothesized interaction, the primary endpoint may be dose optimization, pharmacokinetics, and/or pharmacodynamic (i.e., biomarker). PMID:25125258

Mobile Phones in Research and Treatment: Ethical Guidelines and Future Directions

PubMed Central

Liddle, Jacki; Hall, Wayne; Chenery, Helen

2015-01-01

Mobile phones and other remote monitoring devices, collectively referred to as "mHealth," promise to transform the treatment of a range of conditions, including movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease. In this viewpoint paper, we use Parkinson’s disease as an example, although most considerations discussed below are valid for a wide variety of conditions. The ability to easily collect vast arrays of personal data over long periods will give clinicians and researchers unique insights into disease treatment and progression. These capabilities also pose new ethical challenges that health care professionals will need to manage if this promise is to be realized with minimal risk of harm. These challenges include privacy protection when anonymity is not always possible, minimization of third-party uses of mHealth data, informing patients of complex risks when obtaining consent, managing data in ways that maximize benefit while minimizing the potential for disclosure to third parties, careful communication of clinically relevant information gleaned via mHealth technologies, and rigorous evaluation and regulation of mHealth products before widespread use. Given the complex array of symptoms and differences in comfort and literacy with technology, it is likely that these solutions will need to be individualized. It is therefore critical that developers of mHealth apps engage with patients throughout the development process to ensure that the technology meets their needs. These challenges will be best met through early and ongoing engagement with patients and other relevant stakeholders. PMID:26474545

New Unintended Adverse Consequences of Electronic Health Records

PubMed Central

Wright, A.; Ash, J.; Singh, H.

2016-01-01

Summary Although the health information technology industry has made considerable progress in the design, development, implementation, and use of electronic health records (EHRs), the lofty expectations of the early pioneers have not been met. In 2006, the Provider Order Entry Team at Oregon Health & Science University described a set of unintended adverse consequences (UACs), or unpredictable, emergent problems associated with computer-based provider order entry implementation, use, and maintenance. Many of these originally identified UACs have not been completely addressed or alleviated, some have evolved over time, and some new ones have emerged as EHRs became more widely available. The rapid increase in the adoption of EHRs, coupled with the changes in the types and attitudes of clinical users, has led to several new UACs, specifically: complete clinical information unavailable at the point of care; lack of innovations to improve system usability leading to frustrating user experiences; inadvertent disclosure of large amounts of patient-specific information; increased focus on computer-based quality measurement negatively affecting clinical workflows and patient-provider interactions; information overload from marginally useful computer-generated data; and a decline in the development and use of internally-developed EHRs. While each of these new UACs poses significant challenges to EHR developers and users alike, they also offer many opportunities. The challenge for clinical informatics researchers is to continue to refine our current systems while exploring new methods of overcoming these challenges and developing innovations to improve EHR interoperability, usability, security, functionality, clinical quality measurement, and information summarization and display. PMID:27830226

Body Parts Dependent Joint Regressors for Human Pose Estimation in Still Images.

PubMed

Dantone, Matthias; Gall, Juergen; Leistner, Christian; Van Gool, Luc

2014-11-01

In this work, we address the problem of estimating 2d human pose from still images. Articulated body pose estimation is challenging due to the large variation in body poses and appearances of the different body parts. Recent methods that rely on the pictorial structure framework have shown to be very successful in solving this task. They model the body part appearances using discriminatively trained, independent part templates and the spatial relations of the body parts using a tree model. Within such a framework, we address the problem of obtaining better part templates which are able to handle a very high variation in appearance. To this end, we introduce parts dependent body joint regressors which are random forests that operate over two layers. While the first layer acts as an independent body part classifier, the second layer takes the estimated class distributions of the first one into account and is thereby able to predict joint locations by modeling the interdependence and co-occurrence of the parts. This helps to overcome typical ambiguities of tree structures, such as self-similarities of legs and arms. In addition, we introduce a novel data set termed FashionPose that contains over 7,000 images with a challenging variation of body part appearances due to a large variation of dressing styles. In the experiments, we demonstrate that the proposed parts dependent joint regressors outperform independent classifiers or regressors. The method also performs better or similar to the state-of-the-art in terms of accuracy, while running with a couple of frames per second.

3D face recognition under expressions, occlusions, and pose variations.

PubMed

Drira, Hassen; Ben Amor, Boulbaba; Srivastava, Anuj; Daoudi, Mohamed; Slama, Rim

2013-09-01

We propose a novel geometric framework for analyzing 3D faces, with the specific goals of comparing, matching, and averaging their shapes. Here we represent facial surfaces by radial curves emanating from the nose tips and use elastic shape analysis of these curves to develop a Riemannian framework for analyzing shapes of full facial surfaces. This representation, along with the elastic Riemannian metric, seems natural for measuring facial deformations and is robust to challenges such as large facial expressions (especially those with open mouths), large pose variations, missing parts, and partial occlusions due to glasses, hair, and so on. This framework is shown to be promising from both--empirical and theoretical--perspectives. In terms of the empirical evaluation, our results match or improve upon the state-of-the-art methods on three prominent databases: FRGCv2, GavabDB, and Bosphorus, each posing a different type of challenge. From a theoretical perspective, this framework allows for formal statistical inferences, such as the estimation of missing facial parts using PCA on tangent spaces and computing average shapes.

Communicating about smoke from wildland fire: challenges and opportunities for managers.

PubMed

Olsen, Christine S; Mazzotta, Danielle K; Toman, Eric; Fischer, A Paige

2014-09-01

Wildland fire and associated management efforts are dominant topics in natural resource fields. Smoke from fires can be a nuisance and pose serious health risks and aggravate pre-existing health conditions. When it results in reduced visibility near roadways, smoke can also pose hazardous driving conditions and reduce the scenic value of vistas. Communicating about smoke, whether in the preparation phases before a planned burn or during a wildfire event, can enable those at risk to make informed decisions to minimize their exposure to smoke or choose alternate activities that mitigate smoke completely. To date, very little research has been completed on the social aspects of smoke, such as communication or public perceptions. Here, we present findings from an exploratory study that examined challenges and opportunities related to communication (within agencies or to the public) for management of smoke from wildland fires. Interviews were conducted in California, Oregon, Montana, and South Carolina among a purposive sample of individuals, who are involved in fire or smoke management. Findings indicate that smoke poses several challenges to management agencies. Findings also provide insight into potential strategies to address such challenges by improving communication in both inter- and intra-agency situations as well as with members of the public. In particular, prioritizing fire and smoke-related communication within agencies, allocating agency resources specifically for training in communication and outreach endeavors, taking advantage of existing resources including informal social networks among the public, and building long-term relationships both between agencies and with the public were viewed as effective.

Heterogeneous computing architecture for fast detection of SNP-SNP interactions.

PubMed

Sluga, Davor; Curk, Tomaz; Zupan, Blaz; Lotric, Uros

2014-06-25

The extent of data in a typical genome-wide association study (GWAS) poses considerable computational challenges to software tools for gene-gene interaction discovery. Exhaustive evaluation of all interactions among hundreds of thousands to millions of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may require weeks or even months of computation. Massively parallel hardware within a modern Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) and Many Integrated Core (MIC) coprocessors can shorten the run time considerably. While the utility of GPU-based implementations in bioinformatics has been well studied, MIC architecture has been introduced only recently and may provide a number of comparative advantages that have yet to be explored and tested. We have developed a heterogeneous, GPU and Intel MIC-accelerated software module for SNP-SNP interaction discovery to replace the previously single-threaded computational core in the interactive web-based data exploration program SNPsyn. We report on differences between these two modern massively parallel architectures and their software environments. Their utility resulted in an order of magnitude shorter execution times when compared to the single-threaded CPU implementation. GPU implementation on a single Nvidia Tesla K20 runs twice as fast as that for the MIC architecture-based Xeon Phi P5110 coprocessor, but also requires considerably more programming effort. General purpose GPUs are a mature platform with large amounts of computing power capable of tackling inherently parallel problems, but can prove demanding for the programmer. On the other hand the new MIC architecture, albeit lacking in performance reduces the programming effort and makes it up with a more general architecture suitable for a wider range of problems.

Heterogeneous computing architecture for fast detection of SNP-SNP interactions

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background The extent of data in a typical genome-wide association study (GWAS) poses considerable computational challenges to software tools for gene-gene interaction discovery. Exhaustive evaluation of all interactions among hundreds of thousands to millions of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) may require weeks or even months of computation. Massively parallel hardware within a modern Graphic Processing Unit (GPU) and Many Integrated Core (MIC) coprocessors can shorten the run time considerably. While the utility of GPU-based implementations in bioinformatics has been well studied, MIC architecture has been introduced only recently and may provide a number of comparative advantages that have yet to be explored and tested. Results We have developed a heterogeneous, GPU and Intel MIC-accelerated software module for SNP-SNP interaction discovery to replace the previously single-threaded computational core in the interactive web-based data exploration program SNPsyn. We report on differences between these two modern massively parallel architectures and their software environments. Their utility resulted in an order of magnitude shorter execution times when compared to the single-threaded CPU implementation. GPU implementation on a single Nvidia Tesla K20 runs twice as fast as that for the MIC architecture-based Xeon Phi P5110 coprocessor, but also requires considerably more programming effort. Conclusions General purpose GPUs are a mature platform with large amounts of computing power capable of tackling inherently parallel problems, but can prove demanding for the programmer. On the other hand the new MIC architecture, albeit lacking in performance reduces the programming effort and makes it up with a more general architecture suitable for a wider range of problems. PMID:24964802

Rehabilitation of people with spinal cord damage due to tumor: literature review, international survey and practical recommendations for optimizing their rehabilitation.

PubMed

New, Peter Wayne; Marshall, Ruth; Stubblefield, Michael D; Scivoletto, Giorgio

2017-03-01

People with spinal cord dysfunction (SCDys) due to tumor (benign and malignant) pose enormous rehabilitation challenges. Objectives were: conduct literature search regarding epidemiology, clinical features and outcomes for SCDys due to tumor following rehabilitation, the ideal setting for rehabilitation and practical considerations for rehabilitation; and propose framework and practical considerations for managing people with SCDys due to tumor in spinal rehabilitation units (SRUs). Survey of rehabilitation health care professionals, consensus opinion from experts and literature search. Workshop at International Spinal Cord Society and American Spinal Injury Association combined annual meeting, May 16, 2015, Montréal, Canada. Workshop attendees and experts in the rehabilitation of people with SCDys due to tumor. Reports of services offered to people with SCDys due to tumor, including whether those with benign and malignant tumors are admitted into rehabilitation, any admission criteria used and the rational for declining admission. Most respondents (n = 33, 83%) reported that people with benign tumors were routinely admitted for rehabilitation but only 18 (45%) reported that people with malignant tumors were routinely admitted. A range of criteria and reasons for declining admission were given. Evidence from the literature and the opinion of experts support the admission of people with SCDys due to tumor into specialist SRUs. A framework and practical considerations for managing people with SCDys due to tumor in SRUs are proposed. Patients with tumor causing SCDys should be given greater access to specialist SRU in order to achieve the best outcomes.

Rehabilitation of people with spinal cord damage due to tumor: literature review, international survey and practical recommendations for optimizing their rehabilitation

PubMed Central

Marshall, Ruth; Stubblefield, Michael D.; Scivoletto, Giorgio

2017-01-01

Background People with spinal cord dysfunction (SCDys) due to tumor (benign and malignant) pose enormous rehabilitation challenges. Objectives were: conduct literature search regarding epidemiology, clinical features and outcomes for SCDys due to tumor following rehabilitation, the ideal setting for rehabilitation and practical considerations for rehabilitation; and propose framework and practical considerations for managing people with SCDys due to tumor in spinal rehabilitation units (SRUs). Design Survey of rehabilitation health care professionals, consensus opinion from experts and literature search. Setting Workshop at International Spinal Cord Society and American Spinal Injury Association combined annual meeting, May 16, 2015, Montréal, Canada. Participants Workshop attendees and experts in the rehabilitation of people with SCDys due to tumor. Outcomes Measures Reports of services offered to people with SCDys due to tumor, including whether those with benign and malignant tumors are admitted into rehabilitation, any admission criteria used and the rational for declining admission. Results Most respondents (n = 33, 83%) reported that people with benign tumors were routinely admitted for rehabilitation but only 18 (45%) reported that people with malignant tumors were routinely admitted. A range of criteria and reasons for declining admission were given. Evidence from the literature and the opinion of experts support the admission of people with SCDys due to tumor into specialist SRUs. Conclusions A framework and practical considerations for managing people with SCDys due to tumor in SRUs are proposed. Patients with tumor causing SCDys should be given greater access to specialist SRU in order to achieve the best outcomes. PMID:27088581

Experimental Design for Evaluating Selected Nondestructive Measurement Technologies - Advanced Reactor Technology Milestone: M3AT-16PN2301043

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

Ramuhalli, Pradeep; Hirt, Evelyn H.; Pitman, Stan G.

The harsh environments in advanced reactors (AdvRx) increase the possibility of degradation of safety-critical passive components, and therefore pose a particular challenge for deployment and extended operation of these concepts. Nondestructive evaluation technologies are an essential element for obtaining information on passive component condition in AdvRx, with the development of sensor technologies for nondestructively inspecting AdvRx passive components identified as a key need. Given the challenges posed by AdvRx environments and the potential needs for reducing the burden posed by periodic in-service inspection of hard-to-access and hard-to-replace components, a viable solution may be provided by online condition monitoring of components.more » This report identifies the key challenges that will need to be overcome for sensor development in this context, and documents an experimental plan for sensor development, test, and evaluation. The focus of initial research and development is on sodium fast reactors, with the eventual goal of the research being developing the necessary sensor technology, quantifying sensor survivability and long-term measurement reliability for nondestructively inspecting critical components. Materials for sensor development that are likely to withstand the harsh environments are described, along with a status on the fabrication of reference specimens, and the planned approach for design and evaluation of the sensor and measurement technology.« less

Laser Remediation of Threats Posed by Small Orbital Debris

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fork, Richard L.; Rogers, Jan R.; Hovater, Mary A.

2012-01-01

The continually increasing amount of orbital debris in near Earth space poses an increasing challenge to space situational awareness. Recent collisions of spacecraft caused abrupt increases in the density of both large and small debris in near Earth space. An especially challenging class of threats is that due to the increasing density of small (1 mm to 10 cm dimension) orbital debris. This small debris poses a serious threat since: (1) The high velocity enables even millimeter dimension debris to cause serious damage to vulnerable areas of space assets, e.g., detector windows; (2) The small size and large number of debris elements prevent adequate detection and cataloguing. We have identified solutions to this threat in the form of novel laser systems and novel ways of using these laser systems. While implementation of the solutions we identify is challenging we find approaches offering threat mitigation within time frames and at costs of practical interest. We base our analysis on the unique combination of coherent light specifically structured in both space and time and applied in novel ways entirely within the vacuum of space to deorbiting small debris. We compare and contrast laser based small debris removal strategies using ground based laser systems with strategies using space based laser systems. We find laser systems located and used entirely within space offer essential and decisive advantages over groundbased laser systems.

Mickey Mouse poses with a portrait of Ronald McNair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

In the gymnasium of Ronald McNair Magnet School in Cocoa, Fla., Mickey Mouse poses with a portrait of NASA astronaut Ronald McNair. The portrait was presented to the school by Walt Disney World during a tribute to McNair. The school had previously been renamed for the fallen astronaut who was one of a crew of seven who lost their lives during an accident following launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger in January 1986.

Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation in patients with skin of color.

PubMed

Shokeen, Divya

2016-01-01

Postinflammatory hyperpigmentation (PIH) has posed a substantial challenge for patients with higher Fitzpatrick skin types, specifically types III to VI. Treatment modalities pose a number of limitations due to the number of treatments required, potential side effects, and overall efficacy. Fortunately, multiple therapies have been delineated that can be moderately to highly efficacious in treating PIH in patients with skin of color. This article will review some of these modalities and procedures for this common patient concern.

Systems Challenges for Hypersonic Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunt, James L.; Laruelle, Gerard; Wagner, Alain

1997-01-01

This paper examines the system challenges posed by fully reusable hypersonic cruise airplanes and access to space vehicles. Hydrocarbon and hydrogen fueled airplanes are considered with cruise speeds of Mach 5 and 10, respectively. The access to space matrix is examined. Airbreathing and rocket powered, single- and two-stage vehicles are considered. Reference vehicle architectures are presented. Major systems/subsystems challenges are described. Advanced, enhancing systems concepts as well as common system technologies are discussed.

Exploration Design Challenge 2014

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-25

Sponsors of all of the semi-finalist teams in the Exploration Design Challenge pose for a group photo with the teams. Team ARES from the Governors School for Science and Technology in Hampton, Va. won the challenge with their radiation shield design, which will be built and flown aboard the Orion/EFT-1. The award was announced at the USA Science and Engineering Festival on April 25, 2014 at the Washington Convention Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Exploration Design Challenge 2014

NASA Image and Video Library

2014-04-25

Sponsors of Team ARES pose for a group photo with the winning high school team in the Exploration Design Challenge. Team ARES from the Governors School for Science and Technology in Hampton, Va. won the challenge with their radiation shield design, which will be built and flown aboard the Orion/EFT-1. The award was announced at the USA Science and Engineering Festival on April 25, 2014 at the Washington Convention Center. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Application of Landscape Mosaic Technology to Complement Coral Reef Resource Mapping and Monitoring

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-10-01

irregular shapes pose a challenge for divers trying to delimit live tissue boundaries. Future improvements in the 3D representation of benthic mosaics...benthic habitats can be especially challenging when the spatial extent of injuries exceeds tens of square meters. These large injuries are often too...the impacts of severe physical disturbance on coral reefs can be especially challenging when large-scale modifications to the reef structure takes

Green Flight Challenge

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-28

Pipistrel-USA Taurus G4 Aircraft Pilot Robin Reid poses for a photograph during the 2011 Green Flight Challenge, sponsored by Google, held at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, Calif. on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011. NASA and the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation are having the challenge with the goal to advance technologies in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions with cleaner renewable fuels and electric aircraft. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Green Flight Challenge

NASA Image and Video Library

2011-09-28

Pipistrel-USA Taurus G4 Aircraft Pilot David Morss poses for a photograph during the 2011 Green Flight Challenge, sponsored by Google, held at the Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, Calif. on Thursday, Sept. 29, 2011. NASA and the Comparative Aircraft Flight Efficiency (CAFE) Foundation are having the challenge with the goal to advance technologies in fuel efficiency and reduced emissions with cleaner renewable fuels and electric aircraft. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Future Research Needs in Learning Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Senf, Gerald M.

This paper deals with future research needs and problems in learning disabilities, and is divided into the following two broad categories: (1) supporting conditions, which involve necessary prerequisites to the research effort; and (2) procedural considerations, which deal with methodological concerns. First, the problems posed by supporting…

Real Problems, Real Research, Real Students: Authentic Research with Undergraduates as a Win-Win-Win Collaboration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bank, Carl-Georg; Ryan, Anne Marie

2009-01-01

Authentic research, in which students pose original questions and attempt to find the unknown answers, addresses principles of undergraduate education in an ideal way. With careful planning and reasoned considerations it will benefit students, faculty, and institutions.

Directed Selection of Biochars for Amending Metal Contaminated Mine Soils

EPA Science Inventory

Approximately 500,000 abandoned mines across the U.S. pose a considerable, pervasive risk to human health and the environment. World-wide the problem is even larger. Lime, organic matter, biosolids and other amendments have been used to decrease metal bioavailability in contami...

Process-based Assignment-Setting Change for Support of Overcoming Bottlenecks in Learning by Problem-Posing in Arithmetic Word Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Supianto, A. A.; Hayashi, Y.; Hirashima, T.

2017-02-01

Problem-posing is well known as an effective activity to learn problem-solving methods. Monsakun is an interactive problem-posing learning environment to facilitate arithmetic word problems learning for one operation of addition and subtraction. The characteristic of Monsakun is problem-posing as sentence-integration that lets learners make a problem of three sentences. Monsakun provides learners with five or six sentences including dummies, which are designed through careful considerations by an expert teacher as a meaningful distraction to the learners in order to learn the structure of arithmetic word problems. The results of the practical use of Monsakun in elementary schools show that many learners have difficulties in arranging the proper answer at the high level of assignments. The analysis of the problem-posing process of such learners found that their misconception of arithmetic word problems causes impasses in their thinking and mislead them to use dummies. This study proposes a method of changing assignments as a support for overcoming bottlenecks of thinking. In Monsakun, the bottlenecks are often detected as a frequently repeated use of a specific dummy. If such dummy can be detected, it is the key factor to support learners to overcome their difficulty. This paper discusses how to detect the bottlenecks and to realize such support in learning by problem-posing.

Challenges in Infective Endocarditis.

PubMed

Cahill, Thomas J; Baddour, Larry M; Habib, Gilbert; Hoen, Bruno; Salaun, Erwan; Pettersson, Gosta B; Schäfers, Hans Joachim; Prendergast, Bernard D

2017-01-24

Infective endocarditis is defined by a focus of infection within the heart and is a feared disease across the field of cardiology. It is frequently acquired in the health care setting, and more than one-half of cases now occur in patients without known heart disease. Despite optimal care, mortality approaches 30% at 1 year. The challenges posed by infective endocarditis are significant. It is heterogeneous in etiology, clinical manifestations, and course. Staphylococcus aureus, which has become the predominant causative organism in the developed world, leads to an aggressive form of the disease, often in vulnerable or elderly patient populations. There is a lack of research infrastructure and funding, with few randomized controlled trials to guide practice. Longstanding controversies such as the timing of surgery or the role of antibiotic prophylaxis have not been resolved. The present article reviews the challenges posed by infective endocarditis and outlines current and future strategies to limit its impact. Copyright © 2017 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Twin Epidemics of Tuberculosis and HIV.

PubMed

Varghese, George M; Janardhanan, Jeshina; Ralph, Ravikar; Abraham, Ooriapadickal C

2013-02-01

The deadly combination of tuberculosis (TB) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) currently ravaging the world, taking a toll of about 0.35 million people every year, is one of the major public health crises of the decade. Throughout the course of HIV infection, the risk of acquisition, reactivation, and reinfection of TB keeps increasing substantially as the immune deficiency progresses. TB coinfected patients inadvertently facilitate HIV infection by release of the proinflammatory cytokines and overexpression of coreceptors CXCR4 and CCR5; thereby, the progression of each is facilitated. The difficulties in diagnosing active tuberculosis in HIV-infected individuals poses a great challenge that is further complicated by the challenges in identification of latent TB infection, creating a setback to preventive therapy. Furthermore, prescribing antituberculous therapy and antiretroviral therapy together poses several management challenges, including drug interactions, added toxicities, and TB immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. The current approach to diagnosis, prevention, and treatment strategies in TB and HIV coinfected individuals, along with epidemiology and overview of pathogenetic interplay of both microbes, is reviewed here.

Chess from Square a1: Incorporating Chess into the Gifted Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Thomasina C. P.

2012-01-01

Teachers of gifted students often are challenged to find ways to stimulate critical thinking and problem-solving skills. School chess clubs are one way of meeting that challenge. This article poses how games such as chess affect learning and gifted students. Two detailed strategies for teaching chess to students beginning in kindergarten are…

Antibiotic resistance: a physicist’s view

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allen, Rosalind; Waclaw, Bartłomiej

2016-08-01

The problem of antibiotic resistance poses challenges across many disciplines. One such challenge is to understand the fundamental science of how antibiotics work, and how resistance to them can emerge. This is an area where physicists can make important contributions. Here, we highlight cases where this is already happening, and suggest directions for further physics involvement in antimicrobial research.

Cultural Factors Related to the Hidden Curriculum for Students with Autism and Related Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Hyo Jung

2011-01-01

The hidden curriculum, the unwritten rules and standards for social conduct that most people take for granted and learn more or less automatically, poses a challenge for many individuals on the autism spectrum because of deficits in social cognition and social interaction skills. Compounding challenges are cultural factors, such as age, ethnicity,…

Assessing Graduate Sustainability Capability Post-Degree Completion: Why Is It Important and What Are the Challenges?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sandri, Orana; Holdsworth, Sarah; Thomas, Ian

2018-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight both the need for measurement of graduate capabilities post-degree completion and the challenges posed by such a task. Higher education institutions provide an important site of learning that can equip future professionals with capabilities to manage and respond to complex sustainability…

ESL Reading Textbooks vs. University Textbooks: Are We Giving Our Students the Input They May Need?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Don

2011-01-01

Developing reading skills in a second language presents learners with many challenges, including lexico-grammatical decoding. An additional challenge is posed by the different registers of written text and the associated lexico-grammatical features with which learners must contend. Questioning the efficacy of using non-academic reading texts in…

A Systematic Approach to Faculty Development toward Improved Capability in Tertiary Teaching in a Blended Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Badawood, Ashraf Mohammad

2011-01-01

The blended learning (BL) approach provides an efficient and effective instructional experience. However, adopting BL poses some challenge to faculty; the most important obstacle found in this research is faculty's lack of knowledge regarding the use of technology in their teaching. This challenge prompted the researcher to identify a solution…

Strategies for Coping with the Challenges of Incarceration among Nigerian Prison Inmates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agbakwuru, Chikwe; Awujo, Grace C.

2016-01-01

This paper investigated the strategies for coping with the challenges of incarceration among inmates of Port Harcourt Prison, Nigeria. The population was 2,997 inmates of the prison while the sample was 250 inmates drawn through stratified random sampling technique from the same Port Harcourt prison. Six research questions were posed and data for…

Assisted migration: What it means to nursery managers and tree planters

Treesearch

Mary I. Williams; R. Kasten Dumroese

2014-01-01

Projections indicate that natural plant adaptation and migration may not keep pace with climate changes. This mismatch in rates will pose significant challenges for practitioners that select, grow, and outplant native tree species. Populations of native tree species planted today must be able to meet the climatic challenges they will face during this century. One...

The Challenges of Political Instruction in a Post-9/11 United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Journell, Wayne

2011-01-01

In the decade since the attacks of September 11th, the political climate in the United States has become increasingly intolerant of opposing viewpoints. This climate, made nearly ubiquitous by 24-hour news cycles and increased exposure to political media, poses quite a challenge to teachers wishing to broach political topics as part of their…

Employer Understanding of Work-Integrated Learning and the Challenges of Engaging in Work Placement Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Denise; Rowbottom, David; Ferns, Sonia; McLaren, Diane

2017-01-01

This study examines employer understanding of Work-Integrated Learning (WIL), reasons for participation and the challenges and barriers posed during the WIL process. This is important given the drive to grow WIL, augmented by the National Strategy for WIL, and the significant benefits it holds in preparing students for their transition to…

Educational Elements of a Comprehensive State Policy on Aging.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Office for Policy Analysis.

The aging of New York State's population poses both a challenge and an opportunity for the major institutions of society. The challenge facing educators is to develop a comprehensive strategy to mobilize the capacity of the educational system to address the multiple needs of an aging population in the context of existing social and economic…

Tetralogy of Fallot with pheochromocytoma: an unusual therapeutic challenge.

PubMed

Balakrishnan, Gautam; Ravikumar, Ratnagiri; Rao, Suresh; Balakrishnan, Komarakshi R

2013-08-01

An adult with unoperated tetralogy of Fallot diagnosed simultaneously with pheochromocytoma is extremely rare. This poses obvious diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. A 29-year-old woman with these conditions was successfully operated on for both diseases in the same hospitalization. There is some interesting speculation regarding the association of pheochromocytoma with uncorrected cyanotic congenital heart disease.

Climate Change Education: Preparing Future and Current Business Leaders--A Workshop Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Storksdieck, Martin

2014-01-01

Climate change poses challenges as well as opportunities for businesses and, broadly speaking for the entire economy. Businesses will be challenged to provide services or products with less harmful influence on the climate; respond to a changing policy, regulatory, and market environment; and provide new services and products to help address the…

Assessing the Potential for Openness: A Framework for Examining Course-Level OER Implementation in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Judith, Kate; Bull, David

2016-01-01

The implementation of open educational resources (OER) at the course level in higher education poses numerous challenges to education practitioners--ranging from discoverability challenges to the lack of knowledge on how to best localize and utilize OER as courseware. Drawing on case studies of OER initiatives globally, the article discusses…

"What Do You Do All Day?!": Navigating the Challenges of School Leadership as an Early Career Principal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Malley, Michael P.; Long, Tanya A.; King, Jeffry

2015-01-01

Multiple and complex issues simultaneously present themselves for the principal's attention. Learning how to identify, prioritize, synthesize, and act in relation to these issues poses a particular challenge to early career principals. This case study engages aspiring and current school leaders in critical reflection upon leadership opportunities…

Futures research: A neglected dimension in environmental policy and planning

Treesearch

David N. Bengston

2012-01-01

The need for strategic foresight in an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world poses a formidable challenge to environmental planners and policy makers. Th is paper introduces futures research as an under used but fruitful set of approaches to addressing this challenge. Futures research is a transdisciplinary social science that uses a wide range of methods to...

Responding to the Challenge: Giving Pre-Service Classroom Teachers a Musical Language and Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Munday, Jenni; Smith, Wyverne

2010-01-01

Pre-service teacher degree programs are increasingly crowded with subjects covering the wide gamut of knowledge a teacher requires. Ensuring musical knowledge and language for classroom teaching poses a difficult problem for teacher educators. This article examines the challenges of including in the pre-service classroom teaching program a music…

Challenging the Achievement Gap by Disrupting Concepts of "Normalcy." The Complete Essays

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Draxton, Shawna; Radley, Kirstee; Murphy, Joanne; Nevin, Ann; Nishimura, Trisha; Hagge, Darla; Taniform, Lawrence

2011-01-01

We propose that Disability Studies in Education (DSE) offers a framework that (a) grounds policy and practice in the experiences and perspectives of people with disabilities, (c) challenges practices/ policy that isolate, de-humanize individuals, and (c) leads to new questions to pose. In this session, we describe the pedagogy that we used to…

Second Language Prosody and Oral Reading Comprehension in Learners of Brazilian Portuguese

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCune, W. M. Duce, II

2011-01-01

Learning to read can pose a major challenge to students, and much of this challenge is due to the fact that written language is necessarily impoverished when compared to the rich, continuous speech signal. Prosodic elements of language are scarcely represented in written text, and while oral reading prosody has been addressed in the literature…

One Goal, Two Institutions: How a Community College and 4-Year University Partner to Bridge Student College Readiness Gaps

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Dawna; Lowry, Kimberly M.

2017-01-01

Recent national attention on college completion poses unique challenges and opportunities for community colleges. Moving underprepared students through basic skills educational courses to degree attainment represents an ongoing challenge. With more than 60% of community college students enrolled in remedial education, 2-year institutions must…

Predicting Placement Breakdown: Individual and Environmental Factors Associated with the Success or Failure of Community Residential Placements for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Neil; Rose, John

2010-01-01

Background: Individuals with intellectual disabilities are more likely to experience a breakdown in their community residential placement if they display "challenging" behaviour. However, some individuals with behaviour that poses a severe challenge live successfully in community services long-term, indicating that other factors are also…

Engaging Adolescents with LD in Higher Order Thinking about History Concepts Using Integrated Content Enhancement Routines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bulgren, Janis; Deshler, Donald D.; Lenz, B. Keith

2007-01-01

The understanding and use of historical concepts specified in national history standards pose many challenges to students. These challenges include both the acquisition of content knowledge and the use of that knowledge in ways that require higher order thinking. All students, including adolescents with learning disabilities (LD), are expected to…

Separating the Wheat from the Chaff: Identifying Key Elements in the NLA .AU Domain Harvest

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fellows, Geoff; Harvey, Ross; Lloyd, Annemaree; Pymm, Bob; Wallis, Jake

2008-01-01

In 2005 and 2006 the National Library of Australia (NLA) carried out two whole-domain web harvests which complement the selective web archiving approach taken by PANDORA. Web harvests of this size pose significant challenges to their use. Despite these challenges, such harvests present fascinating research opportunities. The NLA has provided…

Building an Integrated Student Information System in a K-12 School System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steenkamp, Annette Lerine; Basal, Abdelraheem

2010-01-01

The task of managing an IT system in a school environment poses unique challenges. For example, one of the greatest challenges facing individual schools is the lack of integration between various information systems. The present situation in many schools is that there are many disconnected systems managing many different tasks. Systems with…

Working forests, forest health and management challenges in the redwood region

Treesearch

Ken Pimlott

2017-01-01

As California continues into a fifth year of drought, tree mortality enhanced by the unprecedented bark beetle epidemic contributes to wildfires that continue to increase in frequency and severity. Recent fires have posed increasing fire suppression challenges, life safety concerns, post fire watershed impacts and lasting damage to forested landscapes. The ability of...

Toxcast and the Use of Human Relevant In Vitro Exposures: Incorporating High-Throughput Exposure and Toxicity Testing Data for 21st Century Risk Assessments (British Toxicological Society Annual Congress)

EPA Science Inventory

The path for incorporating new approach methods and technologies into quantitative chemical risk assessment poses a diverse set of scientific challenges. These challenges include sufficient coverage of toxicological mechanisms to meaningfully interpret negative test results, dev...

Wanting to Learn: A Necessary Condition for the Effectiveness of Instructional Design

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gropper, George L.

2015-01-01

There are inevitable challenges standing in the way of the success of any approach to Instructional Design. Some are being faced up to. Some are not. Not least among them is the absence of empirically established principles undergirding Instructional Design prescriptions. The challenge it poses is to their reliability and validity. Nothing that…

Challenges and Induction Needs of Novice English as a Foreign Language Teachers in Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alhamad, Rufaida

2018-01-01

The first year of teaching poses massive challenges that lead to attrition among novice teachers. School communities often fail to provide adequate support to novice teachers to help them adapt to their new professional environments. In Saudi Arabia, attrition among novice teachers is a significant problem that hinders the development of the…

The Relationship between Education and Child Work. Innocenti Occasional Papers Child Rights Series, Number 9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyden, Jo

Child labor, which is children's work that is exploitative and dangerous, poses a major human rights and socioeconomic challenge. Universal primary education may be the most effective instrument for meeting this challenge. The expansion of compulsory primary schooling could reduce hours of work by children and help them protect themselves against…

Obstacles facing Africa's young climate scientists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dike, Victor Nnamdi; Addi, Martin; Andang'o, Hezron Awiti; Attig, Bahar Faten; Barimalala, Rondrotiana; Diasso, Ulrich Jacques; Du Plessis, Marcel; Lamine, Salim; Mongwe, Precious N.; Zaroug, Modathir; Ochanda, Valentine Khasenye

2018-06-01

Current and future climate change poses a substantial threat to the African continent. Young scientists are needed to advance Earth systems science on the continent, but they face significant challenges.

A Bayesian Framework for Human Body Pose Tracking from Depth Image Sequences

PubMed Central

Zhu, Youding; Fujimura, Kikuo

2010-01-01

This paper addresses the problem of accurate and robust tracking of 3D human body pose from depth image sequences. Recovering the large number of degrees of freedom in human body movements from a depth image sequence is challenging due to the need to resolve the depth ambiguity caused by self-occlusions and the difficulty to recover from tracking failure. Human body poses could be estimated through model fitting using dense correspondences between depth data and an articulated human model (local optimization method). Although it usually achieves a high accuracy due to dense correspondences, it may fail to recover from tracking failure. Alternately, human pose may be reconstructed by detecting and tracking human body anatomical landmarks (key-points) based on low-level depth image analysis. While this method (key-point based method) is robust and recovers from tracking failure, its pose estimation accuracy depends solely on image-based localization accuracy of key-points. To address these limitations, we present a flexible Bayesian framework for integrating pose estimation results obtained by methods based on key-points and local optimization. Experimental results are shown and performance comparison is presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. PMID:22399933

International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury: cases with classification challenges.

PubMed

Kirshblum, S C; Biering-Sorensen, F; Betz, R; Burns, S; Donovan, W; Graves, D E; Johansen, M; Jones, L; Mulcahey, M J; Rodriguez, G M; Schmidt-Read, M; Steeves, J D; Tansey, K; Waring, W

2014-03-01

The International Standards for the Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) is routinely used to determine the levels of injury and to classify the severity of the injury. Questions are often posed to the International Standards Committee of the American Spinal Injury Association regarding the classification. The committee felt that disseminating some of the challenging questions posed, as well as the responses, would be of benefit for professionals utilizing the ISNCSCI. Case scenarios that were submitted to the committee are presented with the responses as well as the thought processes considered by the committee members. The importance of this documentation is to clarify some points as well as update the SCI community regarding possible revisions that will be needed in the future based upon some rules that require clarification.

Transsphenoidal surgery in patients with acromegaly: operative strategies for overcoming technically challenging anatomical variations.

PubMed

Zada, Gabriel; Cavallo, Luigi M; Esposito, Felice; Fernandez-Jimenez, Julio Cesar; Tasiou, Anastasia; De Angelis, Michelangelo; Cafiero, Tullio; Cappabianca, Paolo; Laws, Edward R

2010-10-01

In addition to difficulties with anesthetic and medical management, transsphenoidal operations in patients with longstanding acromegaly are associated with inherent intraoperative challenges because of anatomical variations that occur frequently in these patients. The object of this study was to review the overall safety profile and anatomical/technical challenges associated with transsphenoidal surgery in patients with acromegaly. The authors performed a retrospective analysis of 169 patients who underwent endoscopic transsphenoidal operations for growth hormone-secreting adenomas to assess the incidence of surgical complications. A review of frequently occurring anatomical challenges and operative strategies employed during each phase of the operation to address these particular issues was performed. Of 169 cases reviewed, there was no perioperative mortality. Internal carotid artery injury occurred in 1 patient (0.6%) with complex sinus anatomy, who remained neurologically intact following endovascular unilateral carotid artery occlusion. Other complications included: significant postoperative epistaxis (5 patients [3%]), transient diabetes insipidus (5 patients [3%]), delayed symptomatic hyponatremia (4 patients [2%]), CSF leak (2 patients [1%]), and pancreatitis (1 patient [0.6%]). Preoperative considerations in patients with acromegaly should include a cardiopulmonary evaluation and planning regarding intubation and other aspects of the anesthetic technique. During the nasal phase of the transsphenoidal operation, primary challenges include maintaining adequate visualization and hemostasis, which is frequently compromised by redundant, edematous nasal mucosa and bony hypertrophy of the septum and the nasal turbinates. During the sphenoid phase, adequate bony removal, optimization of working space, and correlation of imaging studies to intraoperative anatomy are major priorities. The sellar phase is frequently challenged by increased sellar floor thickness, distinct patterns of tumor extension and bony invasion, and anatomical variations in the caliber and course of the internal carotid artery. Specific operative techniques for addressing each of these intraoperative challenges are discussed. Transsphenoidal surgery in patients with longstanding acromegaly frequently poses greater challenges than operations for other types of sellar lesions, yet these challenges may be safely and effectively overcome with the anticipation of specific issues and implementation of various intraoperative techniques.

Genetic variation at the Th2 immune gene IL13 is associated with IgE-mediated paediatric food allergy.

PubMed

Ashley, S E; Tan, H-T T; Peters, R; Allen, K J; Vuillermin, P; Dharmage, S C; Tang, M L K; Koplin, J; Lowe, A; Ponsonby, A-L; Molloy, J; Matheson, M C; Saffery, R; Ellis, J A; Martino, D

2017-08-01

Food allergies pose a considerable world-wide public health burden with incidence as high as one in ten in 12-month-old infants. Few food allergy genetic risk variants have yet been identified. The Th2 immune gene IL13 is a highly plausible genetic candidate as it is central to the initiation of IgE class switching in B cells. Here, we sought to investigate whether genetic polymorphisms at IL13 are associated with the development of challenge-proven IgE-mediated food allergy. We genotyped nine IL13 "tag" single nucleotide polymorphisms (tag SNPs) in 367 challenge-proven food allergic cases, 199 food-sensitized tolerant cases and 156 non-food allergic controls from the HealthNuts study. 12-month-old infants were phenotyped using open oral food challenges. SNPs were tested using Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test adjusted for ancestry strata. A replication study was conducted in an independent, co-located sample of four paediatric cohorts consisting of 203 food allergic cases and 330 non-food allergic controls. Replication sample phenotypes were defined by clinical history of reactivity, 95% PPV or challenge, and IL13 genotyping was performed. IL13 rs1295686 was associated with challenge-proven food allergy in the discovery sample (P=.003; OR=1.75; CI=1.20-2.53). This association was also detected in the replication sample (P=.03, OR=1.37, CI=1.03-1.82) and further supported by a meta-analysis (P=.0006, OR=1.50). However, we cannot rule out an association with food sensitization. Carriage of the rs1295686 variant A allele was also associated with elevated total plasma IgE. We show for the first time, in two independent cohorts, that IL13 polymorphism rs1295686 (in complete linkage disequilibrium with functional variant rs20541) is associated with challenge-proven food allergy. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

When Ethics Constrains Clinical Research: Trial Design of Control Arms in “Greater Than Minimal Risk” Pediatric Trials

PubMed Central

de Melo-Martín, Inmaculada; Sondhi, Dolan

2011-01-01

Abstract For more than three decades clinical research in the United States has been explicitly guided by the idea that ethical considerations must be central to research design and practice. In spite of the centrality of this idea, attempting to balance the sometimes conflicting values of advancing scientific knowledge and protecting human subjects continues to pose challenges. Possible conflicts between the standards of scientific research and those of ethics are particularly salient in relation to trial design. Specifically, the choice of a control arm is an aspect of trial design in which ethical and scientific issues are deeply entwined. Although ethical quandaries related to the choice of control arms may arise when conducting any type of clinical trials, they are conspicuous in early phase gene transfer trials that involve highly novel approaches and surgical procedures and have children as the research subjects. Because of children's and their parents' vulnerabilities, in trials that investigate therapies for fatal, rare diseases affecting minors, the scientific and ethical concerns related to choosing appropriate controls are particularly significant. In this paper we use direct gene transfer to the central nervous system to treat late infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis to illustrate some of these ethical issues and explore possible solutions to real and apparent conflicts between scientific and ethical considerations. PMID:21446781

Inactive supply wells as conduits for flow and contaminant migration: conditions of occurrence and suggestions for management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gailey, Robert M.

2017-11-01

Water supply wells can act as conduits for vertical flow and contaminant migration between water-bearing strata under common hydrogeologic and well construction conditions. While recognized by some for decades, there is little published data on the magnitude of flows and extent of resulting water quality impacts. Consequently, the issue may not be acknowledged widely enough and the need for better management persists. This is especially true for unconsolidated alluvial groundwater basins that are hydrologically stressed by agricultural activities. Theoretical and practical considerations indicate that significant water volumes can migrate vertically through wells. The flow is often downward, with shallow groundwater, usually poorer in quality, migrating through conduit wells to degrade deeper water quality. Field data from locations in California, USA, are presented in combination with modeling results to illustrate both the prevalence of conditions conducive to intraborehole flow and the resulting impacts to water quality. Suggestions for management of planned wells include better enforcement of current regulations and more detailed consideration of hydrogeologic conditions during design and installation. A potentially greater management challenge is presented by the large number of existing wells. Monitoring for evidence of conduit flow and solute transport in areas of high well density is recommended to identify wells that pose greater risks to water quality. Conduit wells that are discovered may be addressed through approaches that include structural modification and changes in operations.

Revisiting the assessment of semen viscosity and its relationship to leucocytospermia.

PubMed

Flint, M; du Plessis, S S; Menkveld, R

2014-10-01

With infertility challenges posing an obstacle to many couples, the extension of variables to assess male fertility is an important line of research. At the Reproductive Biology Unit where the study was undertaken, a considerable proportion of male patient's seeking fertility assessment presented with hyperviscous semen samples and elevated concentrations of leucocytes. Despite viscosity being included as part of a routine spermiogram, it raises a considerable amount of concern as it is assessed semiquantitatively. The study was undertaken to evaluate the quantification of semen viscosity in centipoise (cP) and to investigate whether a correlation exists between hyperviscosity and leucocytospermia. A total of 200 semen samples were assessed from a sample cohort of two population groups: 162 male patients undergoing fertility assessment and 38 volunteer donors. Semen viscosity was determined by measuring the filling time of a capillary-loaded Leja chamber and quantifying the viscosity in cP. Leucocytes were identified histochemically with a leucocyte peroxidase test. The viscosity when quantified in cP was significantly higher in the peroxidase positive sample group (9.01 ± 0.49 vs. 7.39 ± 0.23 cP; P < 0.005). The introduction of a more accurate method of quantifying viscosity may possibly help to identify, diagnose and treat patients suffering from leucocytospermia to ultimately enhance their fertility potential. © 2013 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Local and System Level Considerations for Plasma-Based Techniques in Hypersonic Flight

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suchomel, Charles; Gaitonde, Datta

2007-01-01

The harsh environment encountered due to hypersonic flight, particularly when air-breathing propulsion devices are utilized, poses daunting challenges to successful maturation of suitable technologies. This has spurred the quest for revolutionary solutions, particularly those exploiting the fact that air under these conditions can become electrically conducting either naturally or through artificial enhancement. Optimized development of such concepts must emphasize not only the detailed physics by which the fluid interacts with the imposed electromagnetic fields, but must also simultaneously identify system level issues integration and efficiencies that provide the greatest leverage. This paper presents some recent advances at both levels. At the system level, an analysis is summarized that incorporates the interdependencies occurring between weight, power and flow field performance improvements. Cruise performance comparisons highlight how one drag reduction device interacts with the vehicle to improve range. Quantified parameter interactions allow specification of system requirements and energy consuming technologies that affect overall flight vehicle performance. Results based on on the fundamental physics are presented by distilling numerous computational studies into a few guiding principles. These highlight the complex non-intuitive relationships between the various fluid and electromagnetic fields, together with thermodynamic considerations. Generally, energy extraction is an efficient process, while the reverse is accompanied by significant dissipative heating and inefficiency. Velocity distortions can be detrimental to plasma operation, but can be exploited to tailor flows through innovative electromagnetic configurations.

A tutorial on aphasia test development in any language: Key substantive and psychometric considerations

PubMed Central

Ivanova, Maria V.; Hallowell, Brooke

2013-01-01

Background There are a limited number of aphasia language tests in the majority of the world's commonly spoken languages. Furthermore, few aphasia tests in languages other than English have been standardized and normed, and few have supportive psychometric data pertaining to reliability and validity. The lack of standardized assessment tools across many of the world's languages poses serious challenges to clinical practice and research in aphasia. Aims The current review addresses this lack of assessment tools by providing conceptual and statistical guidance for the development of aphasia assessment tools and establishment of their psychometric properties. Main Contribution A list of aphasia tests in the 20 most widely spoken languages is included. The pitfalls of translating an existing test into a new language versus creating a new test are outlined. Factors to consider in determining test content are discussed. Further, a description of test items corresponding to different language functions is provided, with special emphasis on implementing important controls in test design. Next, a broad review of principal psychometric properties relevant to aphasia tests is presented, with specific statistical guidance for establishing psychometric properties of standardized assessment tools. Conclusions This article may be used to help guide future work on developing, standardizing and validating aphasia language tests. The considerations discussed are also applicable to the development of standardized tests of other cognitive functions. PMID:23976813

Dr. David Brown poses with a portrait of Ronald McNair

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1999-01-01

In the gymnasium of Ronald McNair Magnet School in Cocoa, Fla., Dr. David Brown, a NASA astronaut, poses with a portrait of NASA astronaut Ronald McNair. The portrait was presented to the school by Walt Disney World during a tribute to McNair. The school had previously been renamed for the fallen astronaut who was one of a crew of seven who lost their lives during an accident following launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger in January 1986.