Virtual Reality and Sound Localization

Psychoacoustics is the scientific study of sound perception. Within this field, Virtual Reality is a technique that uses two synthesis speakers to simulate a sine tone coming from anywhere in open space. Using this method it is possible to independently control specific binaural cues in a free-field environment. This study analyzes listener responses to these controlled sine tones to investigate the relative importance of certain binaural cues at different frequencies

The Status of Middle Schools in the Southeastern United States: Perceptions and Implementation of the Middle School Model

For more than 100 years, education communities have debated how best to educate the young adolescent. Proponents of both the junior high school model and the current middle school model have advocated for a specialized approach to educating adolescents that emphasizes the developmental needs of students. To accomplish this, various organizational structures and instructional approaches are recommended. This survey study examines the perceptions of these middle school practices and the implementation of those practices in middle schools in the Southeastern region of the United States. We note several key trends in our results and highlight key differences in perception of importance and implementation of middle school components and strategies compared to the most recent large scale survey administered by McEwin and Greene (2011)

America’s Middle Schools: Examining Context, Organizational Structures, and Instructional Practices

The education of the young adolescent has consistently posed a challenge to the educational community. While the general belief is this age group (10-15-year-old children) would benefit from a specialized educational approach, historically, both the junior high school model of the early 1900s and the more current middle school concept have struggled to be fully implemented and embraced by the educational community. With almost a decade passing since the last national survey focused on middle grades schools (McEwin & Greene, 2010, 2011), researchers seek to reassess the context, organizational structures, and instructional practices of middle schools in the United States. Over 1,600 responses from principals and teachers to the national survey indicate the status of middle schools is largely unchanged since the McEwin and Greene (2010, 2011) study. Specific recommendations for moving forward are shared

A Shared Vision? Exploring the Perceptions of Principals and Teachers Regarding the Middle School Concept

From decades of recommendations, middle school advocates have recommended various organizational structures and instructional practices to meet the specific educational needs of young adolescents. Several notable national studies have sought to assess and report the status of implementation of these recommended practices, though largely from the perspective of the building principal. The purpose of this study was to examine both teachers’ and principals’ perceptions concerning the middle school concept. Based on responses of over 1,600 teachers and principals from all 50 states, findings indicate support for components of the middle school concept related to curriculum and instruction as well as school culture; however, support for components related to middle school philosophy and organizational structures received the lowest levels of support from principals and teachers. While reported support for middle school students was encouraging, the waning support for the philosophical and organizational components often considered foundational to the middle school concept was concerning

Effects of Emulsion Composition on Pulmonary Tobramycin Delivery During Antibacterial Perfluorocarbon Ventilation

Background: The effectiveness of inhaled aerosolized antibiotics is limited by poor ventilation of infected airways. Pulmonary delivery of antibiotics emulsified within liquid perfluorocarbon [antibacterial perfluorocarbon ventilation (APV)] may solve this problem through better airway penetration and improved spatial uniformity. However, little work has been done to explore emulsion formulation and the corresponding effects on drug delivery during APV. This study investigated the effects of emulsion formulation on emulsion stability and the pharmacokinetics of antibiotic delivery via APV. Methods: Gravity-driven phase separation was examined in vitro by measuring emulsion tobramycin concentrations at varying heights within a column of emulsion over 4 hours for varying values of fluorosurfactant concentration (Cfs?=?5?48?mg/mL H2O). Serum and pulmonary tobramycin concentrations in rats were then evaluated following pulmonary tobramycin delivery via aerosol or APV utilizing sufficiently stable emulsions of varying aqueous volume percentage (Vaq?=?1%?5%), aqueous tobramycin concentration (Ct?=?20?100?mg/mL), and Cfs (15 and 48?mg/mL H2O). Results: In vitro assessment showed sufficient spatial and temporal uniformity of tobramycin dispersion within emulsion for Cfs?≥15?mg/mL H2O, while lower Cfs values showed insufficient emulsification even immediately following preparation. APV with stable emulsion formulations resulted in 5?22 times greater pulmonary tobramycin concentrations at 4 hours post-delivery relative to aerosolized delivery. Concentrations increased with emulsion formulations utilizing increased Vaq (with decreased Ct) and, to a lesser extent, increased Cfs. Conclusions: The emulsion stability necessary for effective delivery is retained at Cfs values as low as 15?mg/mL H2O. Additionally, the pulmonary retention of antibiotic delivered via APV is significantly greater than that of aerosolized delivery and can be most effectively increased by increasing Vaq and decreasing Ct. APV has been further proven as an effective means of pulmonary drug delivery with the potential to significantly improve antibiotic therapy for lung disease patients.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140106/1/jamp.2015.1235.pd

Expression and isolation of the membrane proteoglycan syndecan-1 from E. coli

Syndecan-1 is a membrane proteoglycan, which is a protein with glycosaminoglycans, or long carbohydrate chains, attached to its extracellular domain. The syndecan family is composed of various proteoglycans that each aid in cell-to-cell communication, and cell signaling pathways. Syndecan-1 plays a role in the initiation and progression of many different types of cancer. The overall goal of our research is to express and isolate the human syndecan-1 protein in bacterial cells, and then proceed with glycosylation of the protein. In order to have effective expression and cleavage of syndecan-1, a His6-TrpΔLE fusion partner was attached to the syndecan-1 protein, and the sequence of syndecan-1 was altered to replace any cysteine and methionine residues with serine residues. The path to achieving this involves a growth of cells with emphasis on the expression of syndecan-1, a chemical cleavage of the TrpΔLE fusion partner from the syndecan-1 protein, purification by size-exclusion chromatography, and each step monitored by SDS-PAGE to show expression and purity. The syndecan-1 protein in its altered form weighs 31.903kDa, and the TrpΔLE weighs approximately 14kDa. We found that we were successful in cleavage and expression via SDS-PAGE, and got separation of protein through size-exclusion chromatography, but have not expressed a large amount of protein from growths, nor have we gotten proof of our protein expression by mass spectrometry. In the future, we plan on making slight adjustments in protocol and doing more growths to create more protein to work with, and find a reason that we are unable to identify the protein by mass spectrometry.Lew Wentz FoundationChemistr

Safety of the Deferral of Coronary Revascularization on the Basis of Instantaneous Wave-Free Ratio and Fractional Flow Reserve Measurements in Stable Coronary Artery Disease and Acute Coronary Syndromes.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical outcomes of patients deferred from coronary revascularization on the basis of instantaneous wave-free ratio (iFR) or fractional flow reserve (FFR) measurements in stable angina pectoris (SAP) and acute coronary syndromes (ACS). BACKGROUND: Assessment of coronary stenosis severity with pressure guidewires is recommended to determine the need for myocardial revascularization. METHODS: The safety of deferral of coronary revascularization in the pooled per-protocol population (n = 4,486) of the DEFINE-FLAIR (Functional Lesion Assessment of Intermediate Stenosis to Guide Revascularisation) and iFR-SWEDEHEART (Instantaneous Wave-Free Ratio Versus Fractional Flow Reserve in Patients With Stable Angina Pectoris or Acute Coronary Syndrome) randomized clinical trials was investigated. Patients were stratified according to revascularization decision making on the basis of iFR or FFR and to clinical presentation (SAP or ACS). The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE), defined as the composite of all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or unplanned revascularization at 1 year. RESULTS: Coronary revascularization was deferred in 2,130 patients. Deferral was performed in 1,117 patients (50%) in the iFR group and 1,013 patients (45%) in the FFR group (p < 0.01). At 1 year, the MACE rate in the deferred population was similar between the iFR and FFR groups (4.12% vs. 4.05%; fully adjusted hazard ratio: 1.13; 95% confidence interval: 0.72 to 1.79; p = 0.60). A clinical presentation with ACS was associated with a higher MACE rate compared with SAP in deferred patients (5.91% vs. 3.64% in ACS and SAP, respectively; fully adjusted hazard ratio: 0.61 in favor of SAP; 95% confidence interval: 0.38 to 0.99; p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, deferral of revascularization is equally safe with both iFR and FFR, with a low MACE rate of about 4%. Lesions were more frequently deferred when iFR was used to assess physiological significance. In deferred patients presenting with ACS, the event rate was significantly increased compared with SAP at 1 year.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Female Partner Acceptance as a Predictor of Men’s Readiness to Undergo Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision in Zambia: The Spear and Shield Project

The World Health Organization has recommended the scale-up of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) for HIV prevention in sub-Saharan Africa; however, men are often uninterested in undergoing VMMC. The Spear & Shield project enrolled 668 men and female partners from ten Zambian community health centers into parallel interventions promoting VMMC for HIV prevention or time-matched control conditions. A mediation model was utilized to examine the relationships between changes in women’s acceptance of VMMC and men’s readiness to undergo the procedure. Results demonstrated that, at 12 months post-intervention, a 5.9 % increase in the likelihood of undergoing VMMC among men in the experimental condition could be attributed to increased women’s acceptance. From a public health perspective, involving women in VMMC promotion interventions such as the Spear & Shield project could significantly impact the demand for VMMC in Zambia

Stages of Change for Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision and Sexual Risk Behavior in Uncircumcised Zambian Men: The Spear and Shield Project

Background: Dissemination and scale up of voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) programs is well supported by evidence that VMMC reduces HIV risk in populations with high HIV prevalence and low rates of circumcision, as is the case in Zambia. Purpose: At both individual and population levels, it is important to understand what stages of change for VMMC are associated with, especially across cultures. This study evaluated VMMC knowledge, misinformation, and stages of change for VMMC of uncircumcised men and boys (over 18 years), as well as the concurrent relationship between VMMC stages of change and sexual risk behaviors. Method: Uncircumcised (N = 800) adult men and boys (over 18) were screened and recruited from urban community health centers in Lusaka, Zambia, where they then completed baseline surveys assessing knowledge, attitudes, HIV risk behaviors, and stages of change for VMMC. A series of analyses explored cross-sectional relationships among these variables. Results: VMMC was culturally acceptable in half of the sample; younger, unmarried, and more educated men were more ready to undergo VMMC. Stage of change for VMMC was also related to knowledge, and those at greater HIV risk reported greater readiness to undergo VMMC. Conclusions: Efforts to increase VMMC uptake should address the role of perceived HIV risk, risk behaviors, readiness, accurate knowledge, cultural acceptance, and understanding of the significant degree of HIV protection conferred as part of the VMMC decision making process. These results support incorporating comprehensive HIV risk reduction in VMMC promotion programs

Alterations to the Gastrointestinal Microbiome Associated with Methamphetamine Use among Young Men who have Sex with Men.

Methamphetamine (MA) use is a major public health problem in the United States, especially among people living with HIV (PLWH). Many MA-induced neurotoxic effects are mediated by inflammation and gut microbiota may play a role in this process, yet the effects of MA on the microbiome have not been adequately explored. Therefore, we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing on rectal swab samples from 381 men who have sex with men, 48% of whom were PLWH and 41% of whom used MA. We compared microbiome composition between MA users and non-users while testing for potential interactions with HIV and controlling for numerous confounders using inverse probability of treatment weighting. We found that MA use explained significant variation in overall composition (R2 = 0.005, p = 0.008) and was associated with elevated Finegoldia, Parvimonas, Peptoniphilus, and Porphyromonas and reduced Butyricicoccus and Faecalibacterium, among others. Genera including Actinomyces and Streptobacillus interacted with HIV status, such that they were increased in HIV+ MA users. Finegoldia and Peptoniphilus increased with increasing frequency of MA use, among others. In summary, MA use was associated with a microbial imbalance favoring pro-inflammatory bacteria, including some with neuroactive potential and others that have previously been associated with poor HIV outcomes