Helicopter Visual Aid System

The results of an evaluation of police helicopter effectiveness revealed a need for improved visual capability. A JPL program developed a method that would enhance visual observation capability for both day and night usage and demonstrated the feasibility of the adopted approach. This approach made use of remote pointable optics, a display screen, a slaved covert searchlight, and a coupled camera. The approach was proved feasible through field testing and by judgement against evaluation criteria

The Influences of Calculus I on Engineering Student Persistence

About half of the students that are declared engineering majors end up leaving engineering within their first two years at the university. This happens following the required math and science courses that these students must take before getting into the technical engineering coursework. There are two systems that students must be a part of at the university to feel comfortable and have the desire to continue on in their degree. These include the academic system and the social system. The experiences engineering students have during their first required math course, Calculus I, is likely not promoting integration into these two systems. This study analyzed student grade data from Calculus I for trends about student persistence in engineering, along with interviewing students about their experience in Calculus I. These analyses revealed that students do not integrate into the social system of engineering during this course and only persisting students show some positive signs of integration into the academic system. This indicates that there are many gaps in the engineering student experience during their early career that can help these students feel like they belong in engineering and want to stay. Fortunately, there are many areas that can easily be remedied to provide a better social and academic experience in Calculus I to help increase the number of students that remain in engineering until graduation

Automotive fuel economy and emissions program

Experimental data were generated to support an assessment of the relationship between automobile fuel economy and emissions control systems. Tests were made at both the engine and vehicle levels. Detailed investigations were made on cold-start emissions devices, exhaust gas recirculation systems, and air injection reactor systems. Based on the results of engine tests, an alternative emission control system and modified control strategy were implemented and tested in the vehicle. With the same fuel economy and NOx emissions as the stock vehicle, the modified vehicle reduced HC and CO emissions by about 20 percent. By removing the NOx emissions constraint, the modified vehicle demonstrated about 12 percent better fuel economy than the stock vehicle

What is a Quaker Pastoral Theology, and How is it Enfleshed/Embodied in Community?

By definition, pastoral theology sets theology in context. It’s theology with hands and feet attached. In this article I will first address Friends’ theology and then the hands and feet part

Understanding the experience and needs of foster parents caring for medically fragile children

The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding about the experiences and needs of foster parents who care for medically fragile children and indentify characteristics related to providing quality care

Using a Cooling Fin\u27s Temperature Gradient to Detect Water Levels

The project sponsor is Con-Edison’s steam distribution division. Flooding from rainwater can submerge the underground steam lines and rapidly cool them. This cooling causes bubble collapse water hammer, which can cause damage and disrupt operations. The current water-level detection for flooding is costly. A proposed, lower cost, solution employs the temperature gradient from multiple sensors on a cooling fin to detect the water level. The goal of this project is to develop an algorithm to detect the water level based on the temperature gradient. Using fundamental engineering relationships for heat transfer and engineering software a gradient was predicted for given water levels. It is anticipated that experimental work will validate these analytical models. An experimental apparatus is being designed to validate the heat transfer coefficients which are needed to accurately and analytically model the system. The test apparatus will use an insulated electrical resistance heater which is connected to the cooling fin. The fin will then be submerged to different water levels while temperature and energy inputs are measured. It is also expected that these results will enable a simple algorithm to be programmed into Con-Edison’s operations systems. It is expected that this new system will save several hundred thousand dollars over a five year lifespan and yield very reliable data on flooding. This should further the reliability of the steam system to serve its customers

Assessing water filtration and safe storage in households with young children of HIV-positive mothers: a randomized, controlled trial in Zambia.

BACKGROUND: Unsafe drinking water presents a particular threat to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV) due to the increased risk of opportunistic infections, diarrhea-associated malabsorption of essential nutrients, and increased exposure to untreated water for children of HIV-positive mothers who use replacement feeding to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. This population may particularly benefit from an intervention to improve water quality in the home. METHODS AND FINDINGS: We conducted a 12-month randomized, controlled field trial in Zambia among 120 households with children <2 years (100 with HIV-positive mothers and 20 with HIV-negative mothers to reduce stigma of participation) to assess a high-performance water filter and jerry cans for safe storage. Households were followed up monthly to assess use, drinking water quality (thermotolerant coliforms (TTC), an indicator of fecal contamination) and reported diarrhea (7-day recall) among children <2 years and all members of the household. Because previous attempts to blind the filter have been unsuccessful, we also assessed weight-for-age Z-scores (WAZ) as an objective measure of diarrhea impact. Filter use was high, with 96% (596/620) of household visits meeting the criteria for users. The quality of water stored in intervention households was significantly better than in control households (3 vs. 181 TTC/100 mL, respectively, p<0.001). The intervention was associated with reductions in the longitudinal prevalence of reported diarrhea of 53% among children <2 years (LPR=0.47, 95% CI: 0.30-0.73, p=0.001) and 54% among all household members (LPR=0.46, 95% CI: 0.30-0.70, p<0.001). While reduced WAZ was associated with reported diarrhea (-0.26; 95% CI: -0.37 to -0.14, p<0.001), there was no difference in WAZ between intervention and control groups. CONCLUSION: In this population living with HIV/AIDS, a water filter combined with safe storage was used correctly and consistently, was highly effective in improving drinking water quality, and was protective against diarrhea. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01116908

Brief counselling after home-based HIV counselling and testing strongly increases linkage to care: a cluster-randomized trial in Uganda.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to determine whether counselling provided subsequent to HIV testing and referral for care increases linkage to care among HIV-positive persons identified through home-based HIV counselling and testing (HBHCT) in Masaka, Uganda. METHODS: The study was an open-label cluster-randomized trial. 28 rural communities were randomly allocated (1:1) to intervention (HBHCT, referral and counselling at one and two months) or control (HBHCT and referral only). HIV-positive care-naïve adults (≥18 years) were enrolled. To conceal participants' HIV status, one HIV-negative person was recruited for every three HIV-positive participants. Primary outcomes were linkage to care (clinic-verified registration for care) status at six months, and time to linkage. Primary analyses were intention-to-treat using random effects logistic regression or Cox regression with shared frailty, as appropriate. RESULTS: Three hundred and two(intervention, n = 149; control, n = 153) HIV-positive participants were enrolled. Except for travel time to the nearest HIV clinic, baseline participant characteristics were generally balanced between trial arms. Retention was similar across trial arms (92% overall). One hundred and twenty-seven (42.1%) participants linked to care: 76 (51.0%) in the intervention arm versus 51 (33.3%) in the control arm [odds ratio = 2.18, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.26-3.78; p = 0.008)]. There was evidence of interaction between trial arm and follow-up time (p = 0.009). The probability of linkage to care, did not differ between arms in the first two months of follow-up, but was subsequently higher in the intervention arm versus the control arm [hazard ratio = 4.87, 95% CI = 1.79-13.27, p = 0.002]. CONCLUSIONS: Counselling substantially increases linkage to care among HIV-positive adults identified through HBHCT and may enhance efforts to increase antiretroviral therapy coverage in sub-Saharan Africa

Factors associated with uptake of home-based HIV counselling and testing and HIV care services among identified HIV-positive persons in Masaka, Uganda.

We investigated uptake of home-based HIV counselling and testing (HBHCT) and HIV care services post-HBHCT in order to inform the design of future HBHCT programmes. We used data from an open-label cluster-randomised controlled trial which had demonstrated the effectiveness of a post-HBHCT counselling intervention in increasing linkage to HIV care. HBHCT was offered to adults (≥18 years) from 28 rural communities in Masaka, Uganda; consenting HIV-positive care naïve individuals were enrolled and referred for care. The trial's primary outcome was linkage to HIV care (clinic-verified registration for care) six months post-HBHCT. Random effects logistic regression was used to investigate factors associated with HBHCT uptake, linkage to care, CD4 count receipt, and antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation; all analyses of uptake of post-HBHCT services were adjusted for trial arm allocation. Of 13,455 adults offered HBHCT, 12,100 (89.9%) accepted. HBHCT uptake was higher among men [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.20, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.07-1.36] than women, and decreased with increasing age. Of 551 (4.6%) persons who tested HIV-positive, 205 (37.2%) were in care. Of those not in care, 302 (87.3%) were enrolled in the trial and of these, 42.1% linked to care, 35.4% received CD4 counts, and 29.8% initiated ART at 6 months post-HBHCT. None of the investigated factors was associated with linkage to care. CD4 count receipt was lower in individuals who lived ≥30 min from an HIV clinic (aOR 0.60, 95%CI = 0.34-1.06) versus those who lived closer. ART initiation was higher in older individuals (≥45 years versus <25 years, aOR 2.14, 95% CI = 0.98-4.65), and lower in single (aOR 0.60, 95% CI = 0.28-1.31) or divorced/separated/widowed (aOR 0.47, 95% CI = 0.23-0.93) individuals versus those married/cohabiting. HBHCT was highly acceptable but uptake of post-HBHCT care was low. Other than post-HBHCT counselling, this study did not identify specific issues that require addressing to further improve linkage to care