765 research outputs found
Sexual Abuser Insurance in Alaska: A Note on St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Co. v. F.H.; K.W.
Cystic fibrosis patient monitor
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease which affects the body’s ability to regulate chloride movement across epithelial cells, leading to life-limiting conditions such as chronic airway infection and pancreatic disease. Treatments for CF are emerging which aim to correct and enhance the underlying CFTR protein dysfunction which causes the disease. Sweat Cl- concentration is a key biomarker in gauging the efficacy of such treatments. To be able to measure Clin sweat non-invasively in real time, we are developing a wearable, chloride-sensitive patch. This study shows that pHEMA-adapted electrodes can be used to successfully detect clinically relevant changes in Cl- concentration. Studies carried out with an in vitro cell suggest that the electrodes could be used as part of a wearable device capable of monitoring transdermal chloride concentrations. Such a device would play a vital role in monitoring the impact emerging CF treatments have on CFTR functionality, the underlying cause of CF
Toward a Closed Loop, Integrated Biocompatible Biopolymer Wound Dressing Patch for Detection and Prevention of Chronic Wound Infections
Chronic wound infections represent a significant burden to healthcare providers globally. Often, chronic wound healing is impeded by the presence of infection within the wound or wound bed. This can result in an increased healing time, healthcare cost and poor patient outcomes. Thus, there is a need for dressings that help the wound heal, in combination with early detection of wound infections to support prompt treatment. In this study, we demonstrate a novel, biocompatible wound dressing material, based on Polyhydroxyalkanoates, doped with graphene platelets, which can be used as an electrochemical sensing substrate for the detection of a common wound pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Through the detection of the redox active secondary metabolite, pyocyanin, we demonstrate that a dressing can be produced that will detect the presence of pyocyanin across clinically relevant concentrations. Furthermore, we show that this sensor can be used to identify the presence of pyocyanin in a culture of P. aeruginosa. Overall, the sensor substrate presented in this paper represents the first step toward a new dressing with the capacity to promote wound healing, detect the presence of infection and release antimicrobial drugs, on demand, to optimized healing
Using MODIS derived <i>f</i>PAR with ground based flux tower measurements to derive the light use efficiency for two Canadian peatlands
International audienceWe used satellite remote sensing data; fraction of photosynthetically active radiation absorbed by vegetation (fPAR) from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in combination with tower eddy covariance and meteorological measurements to characterise the light use efficiency parameter (?) variability and the maximum ? (?max) for two contrasting Canadian peatlands. Eight-day MODIS fPAR data were acquired for the Mer Bleue (2000 to 2003) and Western Peatland (2004). Flux tower eddy covariance and meteorological measurements were integrated to the same eight-day time stamps as the MODIS fPAR data. A light use efficiency model: GPP=? * APAR (where GPP is Gross Primary Productivity and APAR is absorbed photosynthetically active radiation) was used to calculated ?. The ?max value for each year (2000 to 2003) at the Mer Bleue bog ranged from 0.58 g C MJ?1 to 0.78 g C MJ?1 and was 0.91 g C MJ?1 in 2004, for the Western Peatland. The average growing season ? for the Mer Bleue bog for the four year period was 0.35 g C MJ?1 and for the Western Peatland in 2004 was 0.57 g C MJ?1. The average snow free period ? for the Mer Bleue bog over the four year period was 0.27 g C MJ?1 and for the Western Peatland in 2004 was 0.39 g C MJ?1. Using the light use efficiency method we calculated the ?max and the annual variability in ? for two Canadian peatlands. We determined that temperature was a growth-limiting factor at both sites Vapour Pressure Deficit (VPD) however was not. MODIS fPAR is a useful tool for the characterization of ? at flux tower sites
Randomized controlled trial of SPIRIT: An effective approach to preparing African-American dialysis patients and families for end of life
This randomized controlled trial tested an intervention, Sharing Patients’ Illness Representations to Increase Trust (SPIRIT), designed to enhance communication regarding end-of-life care between African Americans with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and their chosen surrogate decision makers (N = 58 dyads). We used surveys and semi-structured interviews to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effects of SPIRIT on patient and surrogate outcomes at 1 week and 3 months post-intervention. We also evaluated patients’ deaths and surrogates’ end-of-life decision making to assess surrogates’ perceptions of benefits and limitations of the SPIRIT while facing end-of-life decisions. We found that SPIRIT promoted communication between patients and their surrogates and was effective and well received by the participants
A Critical Examination of the X-Wind Model for Chondrule and Calcium-rich, Aluminum-rich Inclusion Formation and Radionuclide Production
Meteoritic data, especially regarding chondrules and calcium-rich,
aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), and isotopic evidence for short-lived
radionuclides (SLRs) in the solar nebula, potentially can constrain how
planetary systems form. Intepretation of these data demands an astrophysical
model, and the "X-wind" model of Shu et al. (1996) and collaborators has been
advanced to explain the origin of chondrules, CAIs and SLRs. It posits that
chondrules and CAIs were thermally processed < 0.1 AU from the protostar, then
flung by a magnetocentrifugal outflow to the 2-3 AU region to be incorporated
into chondrites. Here we critically examine key assumptions and predictions of
the X-wind model. We find a number of internal inconsistencies: theory and
observation show no solid material exists at 0.1 AU; particles at 0.1 AU cannot
escape being accreted into the star; particles at 0.1 AU will collide at speeds
high enough to destroy them; thermal sputtering will prevent growth of
particles; and launching of particles in magnetocentrifugal outflows is not
modeled, and may not be possible. We also identify a number of incorrect
predictions of the X-wind model: the oxygen fugacity where CAIs form is orders
of magnitude too oxidizing; chondrule cooling rates are orders of magnitude
lower than those experienced by barred olivine chondrules; chondrule-matrix
complementarity is not predicted; and the SLRs are not produced in their
observed proportions. We conclude that the X-wind model is not relevant to
chondrule and CAI formation and SLR production. We discuss more plausible
models for chondrule and CAI formation and SLR production.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
Optical and Infrared Diagnostics of SDSS galaxies in the SWIRE Survey
We present the rest-frame optical and infrared colours of a complete sample
of 1114 z<0.3 galaxies from the Spitzer Wide-area InfraRed Extragalactic Legacy
Survey (SWIRE) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). We discuss the optical
and infrared colours of our sample and analyse in detail the contribution of
dusty star-forming galaxies and AGN to optically selected red sequence
galaxies.
We propose that the optical (g-r) colour and infrared log(L_{24}/L_{3.6})
colour of galaxies in our sample are determined primarily by a bulge-to-disk
ratio. The (g-r) colour is found to be sensitive to the bulge-to-disk ratio for
disk-dominated galaxies, whereas the log(L_{24}/L_{3.6}) colour is more
sensitive for bulge-dominated systems.
We identify ~18% (195 sources) of our sample as having red optical colours
and infrared excess. Typically, the infrared luminosities of these galaxies are
found to be at the high end of star-forming galaxies with blue optical colours.
Using emission line diagnostic diagrams, 78 are found to have an AGN
contribution, and 117 are identified as star-forming systems. The red (g-r)
colour of the star-forming galaxies could be explained by extinction. However,
their high optical luminosities cannot. We conclude that they have a
significant bulge component.
The number densities of optically red star-forming galaxies are found to
correspond to ~13% of the total number density of our sample. In addition,
these systems contribute ~13% of the total optical luminosity density, and 28%
of the total infrared luminosity density of our SWIRE/SDSS sample. These
objects may reduce the need for "dry-mergers".Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, 4 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Precision Measurement of The Most Distant Spectroscopically Confirmed Supernova Ia with the Hubble Space Telescope
We report the discovery of a redshift 1.71 supernova in the GOODS North
field. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) ACS spectrum has almost negligible
contamination from the host or neighboring galaxies. Although the rest frame
sampled range is too blue to include any Si ii line, a principal component
analysis allows us to confirm it as a Type Ia supernova with 92% confidence. A
recent serendipitous archival HST WFC3 grism spectrum contributed a key element
of the confirmation by giving a host-galaxy redshift of 1.713 +/- 0.007. In
addition to being the most distant SN Ia with spectroscopic confirmation, this
is the most distant Ia with a precision color measurement. We present the ACS
WFC and NICMOS 2 photometry and ACS and WFC3 spectroscopy. Our derived
supernova distance is in agreement with the prediction of LambdaCDM.Comment: 13 pages, 6 figures, published in ApJ with updated analysi
Investigating the TeV Morphology of MGRO J1908+06 with VERITAS
We report on deep observations of the extended TeV gamma-ray source MGRO
J1908+06 made with the VERITAS very high energy (VHE) gamma-ray observatory.
Previously, the TeV emission has been attributed to the pulsar wind nebula
(PWN) of the Fermi-LAT pulsar PSR J1907+0602. We detect MGRO J1908+06 at a
significance level of 14 standard deviations (14 sigma) and measure a photon
index of 2.20 +/- 0.10_stat +/- 0.20_sys. The TeV emission is extended,
covering the region near PSR J1907+0602 and also extending towards SNR
G40.5--0.5. When fitted with a 2-dimensional Gaussian, the intrinsic extension
has a standard deviation of sigma_src = 0.44 +/- 0.02 degrees. In contrast to
other TeV PWNe of similar age in which the TeV spectrum softens with distance
from the pulsar, the TeV spectrum measured near the pulsar location is
consistent with that measured at a position near the rim of G40.5--0.5, 0.33
degrees away.Comment: To appear in ApJ, 8 page
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