Introducing new diagnostics into STI control programmes: the importance of programme science.

Many innovative diagnostic technologies will become commercially available over the next 5-10 years. These tests can potentially transform the diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections but their introduction into control programmes can be hampered by health system constraints, and political, cultural, socioeconomic and behavioural factors. We used the introduction of syphilis rapid tests to illustrate the importance of programme science to address the gap between accruing evidence of acceptable test performance and the complexity of programme design, implementation and evaluation of test deployment to address public health needs and improve patient-important outcomes

The development of Pauline thought concerning Last Things and its message today

The main divisions of this work are: Influences on Pauline Thought, Pauline Concept of Last Things, and Pauline Eschatology for Today. Pauline eschatology is not without antecedents in Paul's background. The Old Testament and Intertestamental literature provides excellent opportunity for tracing the progressive development of Jewish eschatology. From an early henotheistic view of God with well-defined limitations, Israel's concept of Jehovah expanded to one of universal proportions. This expanding concept of God made it necessary for Israel to refine considerably her thought concerning the life to come. The Christian doctrines of Second Coming, Judgment, Resurrection, Intermediate State and Final Destiny all have counterparts in Jewish eschatology. Paul was equally an innovator and a creature of his Hebraic past. An examination of the major areas of Pauline eschatology reveals the Apostle's heavy dependence upon Jewish apocalyptic imagery when speaking of Last Things. Greek thought was the other major influence of Paul's pre-Christian life. Its most direct contribution is noted in the doctrine of Resurrection. Yet an overall indebtedness becomes evident as one traces the varying concepts of life to come among the major pre-Platonic poets, Plato, the Stoics, Epicureans and finally the Mystery Religions. Traces of Hellenistic influence, while more apparent in reference to the resurrection, are found to some extent in all areas of Paul's worldview. As one continues the study of Pauline thought certain limitations become obvious. The symbolism and imagery, for instance, so much a part of the first century, demand contemporary expression and interpretation. In this sense there is a need for demythologizing. Yet the enduring message of Pauline eschatology, when clothed in contemporary expression, conveys relevant and timeless truths. At the center of this message lies a three-fold affirmation: the God who revealed himself in history has come to us in the present and will one day consummate his work in the future

ACCURACY AND PRECISION OF ESTIMATING AGE OF GRAY WOLVES BY TOOTH WEAR

We evaluated the accuracy and precision of tooth wear for aging gray wolves (Canis lupus) from Alaska, Minnesota, and Ontario based on 47 known-age or known-minimum-age skuIIs. Estimates of age using tooth wear and a commercial cementum annuli-aging service were useful for wolves up to 14 years old. The precision of estimates from cementum annuli was greater than estimates from tooth wear, but tooth wear estimates are more applicable in the field. We tended to overestimate age by 1-2 years and occasionaIIy by 3 or 4 years. The commercial service aged young wolves with cementum annuli to within ± 1 year of actual age, but under estimated ages of wolves 2:9 years old by 1-3 years. No differences were detected in tooth wear patterns for wild wolves from Alaska, Minnesota, and Ontario, nor between captive and wild wolves. Tooth wear was not appropriate for aging wolves with an underbite that prevented normal wear or severely broken and missing teeth

Field evaluation of two point-of-care tests for syphilis among men who have sex with men, Verona, Italy

Objectives: The incidence of HIV and syphilis among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Europe has recently increased. Rapid point-of-care tests (POCTs) for syphilis can improve access to screening. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of two syphilis POCTs compared with laboratory tests among MSM. Methods: The study was undertaken in Verona, Italy. Asymptomatic MSM, potentially exposed to syphilis, were enrolled prospectively. The POCTs evaluated were SD Bioline Syphilis 3.0 and Chembio DPP Syphilis Screen & Confirm Assay on both serum and fingerprick blood. The results of the POCTs were read by the naked eye by two independent readers and their concordance assessed. Results: A total of 289 MSM were enrolled in the study. Based on laboratory tests, 35 MSM (12.1%) were TPPA-positive alone and 16 (5.5%) were both Treponema pallidum particle agglutination test (TPPA) and rapid plasma reagin (RPR)-positive. The specificities of both POCTs were above 99% on both serum and fingerstick blood specimens, while sensitivities varied considerably. The sensitivity of the SD Bioline test was lower on fingerprick blood (51.4% and 54.3%, readers 1 and 2, respectively) compared with that on serum (80.0% and 82.9%). In contrast, the Chembio test exhibited similar sensitivity values for serum and fingerprick samples (57.7% and 64.0% on serum vs 65.4% and 69.2% on fingerprick for the treponemal component; 63.6% on both samples by both readers for the non-treponemal component). The positive predictive value ranged between 100% and 93.9% for the treponemal component of both syphilis POCTs, but was lower (76.3%-100%)%) for the non-treponemal component of the Chembio POCT. The negative predictive value surpassed 90% for both tests on both samples. The agreement between readers was very high (>99%). Conclusion: The diagnostic performance of the syphilis POCTs was lower than expected; however, considering the prevalence of syphilis among MSM, POCTs should be recommended to improve syphilis detection among MSM

Low False-Positive Rate of Kepler Candidates Estimated From A Combination Of Spitzer And Follow-Up Observations

(Abridged) NASA's Kepler mission has provided several thousand transiting planet candidates, yet only a small subset have been confirmed as true planets. Therefore, the most fundamental question about these candidates is the fraction of bona fide planets. Estimating the rate of false positives of the overall Kepler sample is necessary to derive the planet occurrence rate. We present the results from two large observational campaigns that were conducted with the Spitzer telescope during the the Kepler mission. These observations are dedicated to estimating the false positive rate (FPR) amongst the Kepler candidates. We select a sub-sample of 51 candidates, spanning wide ranges in stellar, orbital and planetary parameter space, and we observe their transits with Spitzer at 4.5 microns. We use these observations to measures the candidate's transit depths and infrared magnitudes. A bandpass-dependent depth alerts us to the potential presence of a blending star that could be the source of the observed eclipse: a false-positive scenario. For most of the candidates (85%), the transit depths measured with Kepler are consistent with the depths measured with Spitzer as expected for planetary objects, while we find that the most discrepant measurements are due to the presence of unresolved stars that dilute the photometry. The Spitzer constraints on their own yield FPRs between 5-40%, depending on the KOIs. By considering the population of the Kepler field stars, and by combining follow-up observations (imaging) when available, we find that the overall FPR of our sample is low. The measured upper limit on the FPR of our sample is 8.8% at a confidence level of 3 sigma. This observational result, which uses the achromatic property of planetary transit signals that is not investigated by the Kepler observations, provides an independent indication that Kepler's false positive rate is low.Comment: 33 pages, 16 figures, 3 tables; accepted for publication in ApJ on February 7, 201

Appalachian Music: Discussing the Top Ten

Convenor Sandy Ballard, Editor of Appalachian Journal, Appalachian State University Moderators Mark Freed, Cultural Resources Coordinator for the town of Boone, NC, and teacher of Appalachian Music, Appalachian State University. Guest editor of Appalachian Music edition of Appalachian Journal. Trevor McKenzie, archivist, W. L. Eury Appalachian Collection, Appalachian State University. Guest editor of Appalachian Music edition of Appalachian Journal