Process to determine the file retention schedules for solid waste files

This project involves reviewing current retention schedules for Solid Waste Program records to determine if any records can be purged, destroyed and therefore not maintained in any format by the Program. If it is determined that records can be purged, that is, they have outlived their legal, fiscal, and/or administrative values, then the cost to maintain and/or scan these records will be reduced. The Program will save space, physical or electronic, and increase efficiency by no longer having to handle obsolete or unnecessary records

The Promise of Catholic Schools for Educating the Future of Los Angeles

This study examined the impact of Catholic education on elementary and secondary students in Los Angeles. The study focused on the continuation and graduation rates of ethnic minority students who received special funding from the Catholic Education Foundation (CEF). Using qualitative and quantitative measures, the study revealed that students from ethnic minority and low-income communities enrolled in Catholic schools are graduating from secondary schools at a higher rate than their peers who are enrolled in public schools. Furthermore, survey data was collected from principals and parents of these students enrolled in Catholic schools. The study shows that a Catholic education has a major impact on the lives of these students, their parents, and their communities

Inflatable Re-entry Vehicle Experiment (IRVE-4) Overview

The suite of Inflatable Re-Entry Vehicle Experiments (IRVE) is designed to further our knowledge and understanding of Hypersonic Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerators (HIADs). Before infusion into a future mission, three challenges need to be addressed: surviving the heat pulse during re-entry, demonstrating system performance at relevant scales, and demonstrating controllability in the atmosphere. IRVE-4 will contribute to a better understanding of controllability by characterizing how a HIAD responds to a set of controlled inputs. The ability to control a HIAD is vital for missions that are g-limited, require precision targeting and guidance for aerocapture or entry, descent, and landing. The IRVE-4 flight test will focus on taking a first look into controlling a HIAD. This paper will give an overview of the IRVE-4 mission including the control response portion of the flight test sequence, and will provide a review of the mission s development

Highly selective photoenhanced wet etching of GaN for defect investigation and device fabrication

ABSTRACTPhotoenhanced electro-chemical (PEC) wet etching has been shown to be suitable for dislocation-density estimation in n-GaN films as well as for GaN-based device fabrication. We report on PEC etching of n-GaN samples grown by MBE and HVPE methods in unstirred aqueous KOH solution under He-Cd laser illumination. Characterization of the etched samples was carried out using atomic force microscopy (AFM) in both cross-sectional and plan-view configurations and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). At moderate illumination densities, the SEM and AFM analyses reveal sub-100 nm scale threading vertical wires on the etched surfaces. The calculated density (∼1×10 9cm−2) is in agreement with dislocation density found by transmission electron microscopy. Using cross-sectional AFM, we find that these vertical wires are ∼1[.proportional]m high and are perpendicular to the sapphire surface. Applying a higher illumination density or an external voltage, we obtain a higher etch rate with a smooth free-feature etched surface. Some highly resistive samples that cannot be etched under normal conditions because the band bending is too small to confine the holes to the surface for them to participate in the PEC process, can be etched with the application of a voltage to the sample. In this case, the etch rate depends on both the polarity and the magnitude of the voltage applied. In an MBE-grown sample with an AlN/GaN superstructure inside, we report on high selectivity between AlN and GaN (AlN is an etch stop); the selectivity is due to the etching mechanism of the PEC process

Effect of C∕Si ratio on deep levels in epitaxial 4H–SiC

Changing the ratio of carbon to silicon during the epitaxial 4H–SiC growth is expected to alter the dominant deep level trap, which has been attributed to a native defect. The C∕Si ratio was changed from one to six during epitaxialgrowth of SiC. Diodes fabricated on the epitaxial layer were then characterized using current-voltage and deep level transient spectroscopy. The single peak at 340K (Z1/Z2 peak), was deconvolved into two traps, closely spaced in energy. The concentration of one of the Z1/Z2 traps decreased with increasing C∕Si ratio. This result opposes theoretical predictions of carboninterstitial components, and supports assignment to a silicon antisite or carbonvacancy relationship. The concentration of the second component of the peak at 340K did not depend on the C∕Si ratio, which would indicate an impurity in an interstitial site

Prophylactic Intra-Aortic Balloon Counterpulsation in High Risk Cardiac Surgery: The PINBALL Pilot Multicentre, Registry-Linked, Randomised, Controlled Feasibility Trial

Background: Prophylactic intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation (IABC) is commonly used in selected patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, but definitive evidence is lacking. The aim of the multicentre PINBALL Pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) was to assess the feasibility of performing a definitive trial to address this question. Methods: Patients listed for CABG surgery with impaired left ventricular function and at least one additional risk factor for postoperative low cardiac output syndrome were eligible for inclusion if the treating surgical team was uncertain as to the benefit of prophylactic IABC. The primary outcome of feasibility was based on exceeding a pre-specified recruitment rate, protocol compliance and follow-up. Results: The recruitment rate of 0.5 participants per site per month did not meet the feasibility threshold of two participants per site per month and the study was stopped early after enrolment of 24 out of the planned sample size of 40 participants. For 20/24 (83%) participants, preoperative IABC use occurred according to study assignment. Six (6)-month follow-up was available for all enrolled participants, [IABC 1 death (8%) vs. control 1 death (9%), p = 0.95]. Conclusion: The PINBALL Pilot recruitment rate was insufficient to demonstrate feasibility of a multicentre RCT of prophylactic IABC in high risk patients undergoing CABG surgery

LifeGene : a large prospective population-based study of global relevance

Studying gene-environment interactions requires that the amount and quality of the lifestyle data is comparable to what is available for the corresponding genomic data. Sweden has several crucial prerequisites for comprehensive longitudinal biomedical research, such as the personal identity number, the universally available national health care system, continuously updated population and health registries and a scientifically motivated population. LifeGene builds on these strengths to bridge the gap between basic research and clinical applications with particular attention to populations, through a unique design in a research-friendly setting. LifeGene is designed both as a prospective cohort study and an infrastructure with repeated contacts of study participants approximately every 5 years. Index persons aged 18-45 years old will be recruited and invited to include their household members (partner and any children). A comprehensive questionnaire addressing cutting-edge research questions will be administered through the web with short follow-ups annually. Biosamples and physical measurements will also be collected at baseline, and re-administered every 5 years thereafter. Event-based sampling will be a key feature of LifeGene. The household-based design will give the opportunity to involve young couples prior to and during pregnancy, allowing for the first study of children born into cohort with complete pre-and perinatal data from both the mother and father. Questions and sampling schemes will be tailored to the participants' age and life events. The target of LifeGene is to enroll 500,000 Swedes and follow them longitudinally for at least 20 years.Stockholm County CouncilVetenskapsrådetKarolinska InstitutetTorsten and Ragnar Söderbergs FoundationAFA FörsäkringarManuscrip

Neoadjuvant Talazoparib in Patients With Germline BRCA1/2 Mutation-Positive, Early-Stage Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: Exploration of Tumor BRCA Mutational Status

BACKGROUND: Talazoparib monotherapy in patients with germline BRCA-mutated, early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) showed activity in the neoadjuvant setting in the phase II NEOTALA study (NCT03499353). These biomarker analyses further assessed the mutational landscape of the patients enrolled in the NEOTALA study. METHODS: Baseline tumor tissue from the NEOTALA study was tested retrospectively using FoundationOne RESULTS: All patients enrolled (N = 61) had TNBC. In the biomarker analysis population, 75.0% (39/52) and 25.0% (13/52) of patients exhibited BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations, respectively. Strong concordance (97.8%) was observed between tumor BRCA and germline BRCA mutations, and 90.5% (38/42) of patients with tumor BRCA mutations evaluable for somatic-germline-zygosity were predicted to exhibit BRCA loss of heterozygosity (LOH). No patients had non-BRCA germline DNA damage response (DDR) gene variants with known/likely pathogenicity, based on a panel of 14 non-BRCA DDR genes. Ninety-eight percent of patients had TP53 mutations. Genomic LOH, assessed continuously or categorically, was not associated with response. CONCLUSION: The results from this exploratory biomarker analysis support the central role of BRCA and TP53 mutations in tumor pathobiology. Furthermore, these data support assessing germline BRCA mutational status for molecular eligibility for talazoparib in patients with TNBC