A computer operated mass spectrometer system

Digital computer system for processing mass spectrometer output dat

Computer control of mass analyzers

Digital computer control of mass spectrometer

Evidence-Based Falls Prevention in CAHs (Policy Brief #24)

Inpatient falls are a serious patient safety problem in Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs). Injuries from falls are also costly -- it is estimated that patients injured in a fall sustain upwards of 60% higher total charges than other hospitalized patients. This brief is one in a series of policy briefs identifying and assessing evidence-based patient safety and quality improvement interventions appropriate for use by state Flex Programs and CAHs. Key Findings: Hospital falls are a serious patient safety problem, accounting for nearly 84% of all inpatient incidents. Most falls commonly occur as a result of medication related issues, toileting needs, and hospital environmental conditions. Effective falls interventions target both intrinsic (e.g. physiologic) and extrinsic (e.g. environmental) risk factors. Effective falls prevention teams are interdisciplinary and are embedded in a culture of patient safety. Education for and communication across all staff contributes to successful falls prevention programs

Effects of Percussive Massage Treatments on Symptoms Associated With Eccentric Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage

Percussive massage (PM) is an emerging recovery treatment, but the research on its effects post-eccentric exercise (post-EE) is limited. PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of PM on maximal isometric torque (MIT), range of motion (ROM), and an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS) of soreness from 24-72 h post-EE. METHODS: Seventeen untrained, college-aged subjects (14 women and 3 men) performed 60 eccentric elbow flexion actions with their nondominant arms. Nine subjects received 1 minute of PM on their nondominant arm’s biceps brachii immediately, 24, 48, and 72 h post-EE, versus eight rested quietly (control [CON]). In order, the NRS, ROM, and MIT were collected pre-eccentric exercise (pre-EE) and after treatment (AT) at 24, 48, and 72 h post-EE. The NRS was also collected before treatment (BT). Electromyographic (EMG) amplitude was collected during the MIT and normalized to pre-EE. MIT was made relative to body mass. All measures were analyzed via separate two-way (group × time) mixed factorial ANOVAs. RESULTS: There was no interaction (p = 0.22) for MIT but a main effect for time (p \u3c 0.001), indicating an approximately (approx.) 12% decrease (p = 0.02) from pre-EE to 24 h post-EE. Values returned to pre-EE by 48 h (p = 0.47). There was no interaction (p = 0.55) or main effect of time (p = 0.47) for EMG. An interaction (p \u3c 0.001) for ROM showed that the PM group had higher values than the CON at 24 (p = 0.01), 48 (p = 0.01), and 72 h (p = 0.04) by approx. 8, 6, and 6°, respectively. The PM group returned to pre-EE (p \u3e 0.05) faster than the CON (PM: 48 h, CON: 72 h) and exceeded (p \u3c 0.001) their pre-EE at 72 h by approx. 4°. An interaction (p = 0.01) for NRS revealed that the groups did not differ BT at 24 (p = 0.11), 48 (p = 0.052), and 72 h (p = 0.10). However, the PM group’s NRS lowered from BT to AT within the 24 (p \u3c 0.001), 48 (p \u3c 0.001), and 72 h (p = 0.01) visits by approx. 1 point per visit. As a result, the PM group had lower values (p \u3c 0.001) than the CON AT at 24, 48, and 72 h by approx. 3, 2, and 2 points, respectively. Lastly, the PM group returned their NRS to pre-EE (p \u3e 0.05) faster than the CON (PM: BT 72 h, CON: never). CONCLUSION: The PM treatments improved ROM without affecting MIT or muscle activation 24-72 h post-EE. Although the PM did not enhance the recovery from soreness until 72 h, it consistently provided immediate, temporary relief when used 24-72 h post-EE

Testing Lorentz Invariance with GRB021206

Since the discovery of the cosmological origin of GRBs there has been growing interest in using these transient events to probe the quantum gravity energy scale in the range 10^16--10^19 GeV, up to the Planck mass scale. This energy scale can manifest itself through a measurable modification in the electromagnetic radiation dispersion relation for high energy photons originating from cosmological distances. We have used data from the gamma-ray burst (GRB) of 6 December 2002 (GRB021206) to place an upper bound on the energy dispersion of the speed of light. The limit on the first-order quantum gravity effects derived from this single GRB indicate that the energy scale is in excess of 1.8x10^17 GeV. We discuss a program to further constrain the energy scale by systematically studying such GRBs.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ

Environmental metabolomics : databases and tools for data analysis

© The Author(s), 2015. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Marine Chemistry 177 (2015): 366–373, doi:10.1016/j.marchem.2015.06.012.Metabolomics is the study of small molecules, or ‘metabolites’, that are the end products of biological processes. While -omics technologies such as genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics measure the metabolic potential of organisms, metabolomics provides detailed information on the organic compounds produced during metabolism and found within cells and in the environment. Improvements in analytical techniques have expanded our understanding of metabolomics and developments in computational tools have made metabolomics data accessible to a broad segment of the scientific community. Yet, metabolomics methods have only been applied to a limited number of projects in the marine environment. Here, we review analysis techniques for mass spectrometry data and summarize the current state of metabolomics databases. We then describe a boutique database developed in our laboratory for efficient data analysis and selection of mass spectral targets for metabolite identification. The code to implement the database is freely available on GitHub (https://github.com/joefutrelle/domdb). Data organization and analysis are critical, but often under-appreciated, components of metabolomics research. Future advances in environmental metabolomics will take advantage of continued development of new tools that facilitate analysis of large metabolomics datasets.The field data populating the database comes from scientific cruises funded by grants from the National Science Foundation to EBK and KL (Atlantic Ocean, OCE-1154320) and E.V. Armbrust (Pacific Ocean, OCE-1205233). The laboratory experiment with coastal seawater was funded by a grant from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative to EBK and H.K. White. The laboratory experiments with microbial isolates and the database development are funded by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation through Grant GBMF3304 to EBK

Promoting a Culture of Safety: Use of the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture in CAHs (Briefing Paper #30)

The Institute of Medicine has emphasized the importance of establishing a culture of safety to improve patient care, specifically: developing clear, highly visible patient safety programs that focus organizational attention on safety; using non-punitive systems for reporting and analyzing errors; incorporating well-established safety principles such as standardized and simplified equipment, supplies, and work processes; and establishing proven interdisciplinary team training programs for providers. We sought to investigate the degree to which these elements are present or absent in Critical Access Hospitals. This report presents the results of a literature review and a rural patient safety expert panel comprised of representatives from federal and state government and academia. There is another policy brief that summarizes these same findings

Effects of air pollution on the nervous system and its possible role in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders

Recent extensive evidence indicates that air pollution, in addition to causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, may also negatively affect the brain and contribute to central nervous system diseases. Air pollution is comprised of ambient particulate matter (PM) of different sizes, gases, organic compounds, and metals. An important contributor to PM is represented by traffic-related air pollution, mostly ascribed to diesel exhaust (DE). Epidemiological and animal studies have shown that exposure to air pollution may be associated with multiple adverse effects on the central nervous system. In addition to a variety of behavioral abnormalities, the most prominent effects caused by air pollution are oxidative stress and neuro-inflammation, which are seen in both humans and animals, and are supported by in vitro studies. Among factors which can affect neurotoxic outcomes, age is considered most relevant. Human and animal studies suggest that air pollution may cause developmental neurotoxicity, and may contribute to the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder. In addition, air pollution exposure has been associated with increased expression of markers of neurodegenerative disease pathologies, such as alpha-synuclein or beta-amyloid, and may thus contribute to the etiopathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease

Development of the combined method of hardening of the surface of aluminium

Представлены результаты, полученные при исследовании фазового и элементного состава, дефектной субструктуры поверхности технически чистого алюминия марки А7, подвергнутого комбинированной обработке, сочетающей напыление металлической пленки, электронно-пучковое перемешивание системы пленка/подложка и последующее азотирование в плазме газового разряда низкого давления. Выполнен анализ закономерностей, выявлены режимы воздействия, позволяющие кратно повышать микротвердость и износостойкость материала.The results are presented, received at research of phase and elemental composition, defective substructureof surface technically pure aluminium of the A7, subjected to the combined processing combining spraying metalfilm, electron-beam mixing of system film/substrate and subsequent nitriding in plasma of the gas discharge of lowpressure. The analysis of regularities is made, revealed the modes of influence allowing multiple to raise amicrohardness and wear resistance of material