1,688 research outputs found
Method for radar detection of persons wearing wires
PatentMethods are described for radar detection of persons wearing
wires using radar spectra data including the vertical polarization
(VV) radar cross section and the horizontal polarization
(HH) radar cross section for a person. In one embodiment, the
ratio of the vertical polarization (VV) radar cross section to
the horizontal polarization (HH) radar cross section for a
person is compared to a detection threshold to determine
whether the person is wearing wires. In another embodiment,
the absolute difference of the vertical polarization (VV) radar
cross section and the horizontal polarization (HH) radar cross
section for a person is compared to a detection threshold to
determine whether the person is wearing wires. To reduce
false positives, other additional indicators, such as speed of
movement, and or visual features of the person, can be used to
further narrow a person suspected of wearing wires
Mobility and Clinic Switching Among Postpartum Women Considered Lost to HIV Care in South Africa.
This version is the Accepted Manuscript, and was published in final edited form as: J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. 2017 April 01; 74(4): 383–389. doi:10.1097/QAI.0000000000001284OBJECTIVE: Retention in HIV care, particularly among postpartum women, is a challenge to national antiretroviral therapy programs. Retention estimates may be underestimated because of unreported transfers. We explored mobility and clinic switching among patients considered lost to follow-up (LTFU).
DESIGN: Observational cohort study.
METHODS: Of 788 women initiating antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy at 6 public clinics in Johannesburg, South Africa, 300 (38.1%) were LTFU (no visit ≥3 months). We manually searched for these women in the South African National Health Laboratory Services database to assess continuity of HIV care. We used geographic information system tools to map mobility to new facilities.
RESULTS: Over one-third (37.6%) of women showed evidence of continued HIV care after LTFU. Of these, 67.0% continued care in the same province as the origin clinic. Compared with those who traveled outside of the province for care, these same-province "clinic shoppers" stayed out-of-care longer {median 373 days [interquartile range (IQR): 175-790] vs. 175.5 days (IQR: 74-371)} and had a lower CD4 cell count on re-entry [median 327 cells/μL (IQR: 196-576) vs. 493 cells/μL (IQR: 213-557). When considering all women with additional evidence of care as engaged in care, cohort LTFU dropped from 38.1% to 25.0%.
CONCLUSION: We found evidence of continued care after LTFU and identified local and national clinic mobility among postpartum women. Laboratory records do not show all clinic visits and manual matching may have been under- or overestimated. A national health database linked to a unique identifier is necessary to improve reporting and patient care among highly mobile populations
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Data for the Desert Citrus Industry
This item is part of the Agricultural Experiment Station archive. It was digitized from a physical copy provided by the University Libraries at the University of Arizona. For more information, please email CALS Publications at [email protected]
Implementing tradable permits for sulfur oxides emissions : a case study in the South Coast Air Basin
Tradable emissions permits have important theoretical advantages over source-specific technical standards as a means for controlling pollution. Nonetheless, difficulties can arise in trying to implement an efficient, competitive market in emissions permits. Simple workable versions of the market concept may fail to achieve the competitive equilibrium, or to take account of important complexities in the relationship between the pattern of emissions and the geographical distribution of pollution. Existing regulatory law may severely limit the range of market opportunities that states can adopt.
This report examines the feasibility of tradable permits for controlling particulate sulfates in the Los Angeles airshed. Although the empirical part of the paper deals with a specific case, the methods developed have general applicability. Moreover, the particular market design that is proposed -- an auction process that involves no net revenue collection by the state -- has attractive features as a general model
Comparison of Methods for the Purification of Alpha-1 Acid Glycoprotein from Human Plasma
Alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) is a highly glycosylated, negatively charged plasma protein suggested to have anti-inflammatory and/or immunomodulatory activities. Purification of AGP could be simplified if methods that exploit its high solubility under chemically harsh conditions could be demonstrated to leave the protein in its native conformation. Procedures involving exposure of AGP to hot phenol or sulphosalicylic acid (SSA) were compared to solely chromatographic methods. Hot phenol-purified AGP was more rapidly cleared from mice in vivo following intravenous injection than chromatographically purified AGP. In contrast, SSA-purified AGP demonstrated an identical in vivo clearance profile and circular dichroism spectrum to chromatographically purified AGP. Similarly, no differences in susceptibility to enzymatic deglycosylation or reactivity with Sambucus nigra lectin were detected between AGP purified via the two methods. Incorporation of the SSA step in the purification scheme for AGP eliminated the need for a large (4 mL resin/mL of plasma) initial chromatographic step and simplified its purification without causing any detectable distortion in the conformation of the protein. Confirmation that this procedure is nondenaturing will simplify AGP purification and investigation of its possible biological roles in laboratory animals
In Vivo Clearance of Alpha-1 Acid Glycoprotein Is Influenced by the Extent of Its N-Linked Glycosylation and by Its Interaction with the Vessel Wall
Alpha-1 acid glycoprotein (AGP) is a highly glycosylated plasma protein that exerts vasoprotective effects. We hypothesized that AGP's N-linked glycans govern its rate of clearance from the circulation, and followed the disappearance of different forms of radiolabeled human AGP from the plasma of rabbits and mice. Enzymatic deglycosylation of human plasma-derived AGP (pdAGP) by Peptide: N-Glycosidase F yielded a mixture of differentially deglycosylated forms (PNGase-AGP), while the introduction of five Asn to Gln mutations in recombinant Pichia pastoris-derived AGP (rAGP-N(5)Q) eliminated N-linked glycosylation. PNGase-AGP was cleared from the rabbit circulation 9-fold, and rAGP-N(5)Q, 46-fold more rapidly than pdAGP, primarily via a renal route. Pichia pastoris-derived wild-type rAGP differed from pdAGP in expressing mannose-terminated glycans, and, like neuraminidase-treated pdAGP, was more rapidly removed from the rabbit circulation than rAGP-N(5)Q. Systemic hyaluronidase treatment of mice transiently decreased pdAGP clearance. AGP administration to mice reduced vascular binding of hyaluronic acid binding protein in the liver microcirculation and increased its plasma levels. Our results support a critical role of N-linked glycosylation of AGP in regulating its in vivo clearance and an influence of a hyaluronidase-sensitive component of the vessel wall on its transendothelial passage
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