IRDS prototyping with applications to the representation of EA/RA models

The requirements and system overview for the Information Resources Dictionary System (IRDS) are described. A formal design specification for a scaled down IRDS implementation compatible with the proposed FIPS IRDS standard is contained. The major design objectives for this IRDS will include a menu driven user interface, implementation of basic IRDS operations, and PC compatibility. The IRDS was implemented using Smalltalk/5 object oriented programming system and an ATT 6300 personal computer running under MS-DOS 3.1. The difficulties encountered in using Smalltalk are discussed

Improved Manufacturing Performance of Screen Printed Carbon Electrodes through Material Formulation

Printed carbon graphite materials are the primary common component in the majorityof screen printed sensors. Screen printing allows a scalable manufacturing solution, acceleratingthe means by which novel sensing materials can make the transition from laboratory material tocommercial product. A common bottleneck in any thick film printing process is the controlled dryingof the carbon paste material. A study has been undertaken which examines the interaction betweenmaterial solvent, printed film conductivity and process consistency. The study illustrates that itis possible to reduce the solvent boiling point to significantly increase process productivity whilemaintaining process consistency. The lower boiling point solvent also has a beneficial effect on theconductivity of the film, reducing the sheet resistance. It is proposed that this is a result of greaterfilm stressing increasing charge percolation through greater inter particle contact. Simulations ofmaterial performance and drying illustrate that a multi layered printing provides a more time efficientmanufacturing method. The findings have implications for the volume manufacturing of the carbonsensor electrodes but also have implications for other applications where conductive carbon is used,such as electrical circuits and photovoltaic devices

Performance of the OptiMAL® dipstick in the diagnosis of malaria infection in pregnancy

The accuracy of OptiMAL® dipsticks was compared with that of microscopy in the diagnosis of malaria infection in pregnancy. During the course of a clinical trial of antimalarial drugs in pregnancy, we screened 4500 pregnant women of all parities who accessed antenatal clinic services at St. Theresa’s Hospital’s in Nkoranza, Ghana, between March 2003 and December 2004 with OptiMAL® dipsticks and confirmed the diagnosis of malaria with microscopy. We determined the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, and the area under receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve for the OptiMAL® antigen test compared to microscopy for the diagnosis of malaria infection in pregnancy. OptiMAL® dipsticks had a sensitivity of 96.6%, specificity of 85.4%, a positive predictive value of 92.7%, a negative predictive value of 92.6%, and an area under the ROC curve of 0.91 (95% CI of 0.90–0.92). The diagnostic accuracy of the OptiMAL® dipstick is high and the test may have practical use in the diagnosis of malaria infection in pregnancy in malaria endemic countries

Exploring the Utility of Small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) Products in Remote Visual Stream Ecological Assessment

Many restoration projects’ success is not evaluated (Roni & Beechie 2013; Nilsson et al. 2016), despite available conventional ecological assessment methods. There is a need for more flexible, affordable, and efficient methods for evaluation, particularly those that take advantage of new remote sensing and geospatial technologies (Hubbart et al. 2017). This study explores the use of illustrative small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) products, made using a simple structure-from-motion photogrammetry workflow, coupled with a visual assessment protocol as a remote evaluation and ecological condition archive approach. Three streams were assessed in the field (“surface assessments”) using the Stream Visual Assessment Protocol Version 2 (SVAP2) and later illustrated in sUAS products. A survey of 10 stream experts was conducted to 1) assess the general utility of the sUAS products (high resolution video, orthomosaics, and 3D models), and 2) test whether the experts could interpret the products and apply the 16 SVAP2 elements remotely. The channel condition, bank condition, riparian area quantity, and canopy cover elements were deemed appropriate for remote assessment, while the riparian area quality, water appearance, fish habitat complexity, and aquatic invertebrate complexity elements were deemed appropriate for remote assessment but with some potential limitations due to the quality of the products and varying site conditions. In general, the survey participants agreed that the illustrative products would be useful in stream ecological assessment and restoration evaluation. Although not a replacement for more quantitative surface assessments when required, this remote visual approach is suitable when more general monitoring is satisfactory. Note: This is an Author’s Original Manuscript of an article to be published by Wiley in Restoration Ecology, the Accepted Manuscript is currently available online: https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.1322

Sensitivity Analysis of the Ultrasonic Response from a Non-Normal Surface-Breaking Crack

The use of computer simulations is becoming an increasing popular strategy for designing ultrasonic inspections. There are many benefits of accurate simulations, the most important one being their cost effectiveness. In many cases, before inspection procedures are finalized, it is possible to simulate the competing inspection plans, and to use the outputs of simulation trials to choose the best plan. This strategy is particularly useful when there is limited accessibility to the components that need to be inspected, as in the extreme case when the inspection procedure requires that operating equipment be removed from service. In such cases, it is best to be fully prepared before taking the inspection equipment to the test site and computer simulations can play an important role in such preparation, often at a significantly reduced cost with respect to traditional methods

Great Canadian Lagerstätten 1. Early Eocene Lagerstätten of the Okanagan Highlands (British Columbia and Washington State)

The Early Eocene Okanagan High lands series of lacustrine shale and coal deposits, in far western North Ameri ca, constitutes a significant group of fossil sites with exceptional preserva tion of a diverse suite of organisms (Lagerstätten). With contemporaneous basins arrayed across about 1000 kilo metres of southern British Columbia and northern Washington, these sites offer a unique opportunity to examine the paleoecology of terrestrial commu nities spanning a temperate, low-sea sonality landscape in a montane setting during a time of generally warm tem peratures across the globe. The Okana gan Highlands sites provide an unpar alleled comparative framework within which to examine this major turning point in terrestrial community develop ment during the emergence of their broad modern character.La série de dépôts lacustres de schiste et de charbon du début de l’Éocène des hautes terres d’Okanagan, aux con fins de l’ouest de l’Amérique du Nord, constituent un groupe important de sites fossiles particulièrement bien con servés de suites d’organismes diverses (Lagerstätten). De nos jours, ces sites forment en une bande d’environ 1 000 kilomètres, depuis le sud de la Colom bie-Britannique jusqu’au nord de l’État de Washington. Dans le contexte de réchauffement climatique, c’est l’occa sion ou jamais d’étudier la paléoécolo gie de communautés terrestres dans des conditions climatiques modérées dans un paysage de montagne à faible saisonnalité. Les sites des hautes terres d’Okanagan représentent un cadre de comparaison sans pareil permettant d’étudier les effets de ce tournant majeur sur le développement des prin cipales caractéristiques modernes de la communauté terrestre

Carotid atherosclerosis and a reduced likelihood for lowered cognitive Performance in a Canadian first nations population

Background: We investigated the associations among cardiovascular risk factors, carotid atherosclerosis and cognitive function in a Canadian First Nations population. Methods: Individuals aged ≥18 years, without stroke, nonpreg- nant and with First Nations status were assessed by the Trail Making Test Parts A and B. Results were combined into a Trail Making Test executive function score (TMT-exec). Doppler ultrasonography assessed carotid stenosis and plaque volume. Anthropometric, vascular and metabolic risk factors were assessed by interview, clinical examinations and blood tests. Results: For 190 individuals with TMT-exec scores, the median age of the population was 39 years. Compared to the reference group, individuals with elevated levels of left carotid stenosis (LCS) and total carotid stenosis (TCS) were less likely to demonstrate lowered cognitive performance [LCS, odds ratio (OR): 0.47, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.24-0.96; TCS, OR: 0.40, 95% CI: 0.20-0.80]. No effect was shown for plaque volume. In structural equation modeling, we found that for every 1-unit change in the anthropometric factor in kg/m2, there was a 0.86-fold decrease in the percent of TCS (p \u3c 0.05). Conclusions: Individuals with elevated levels of LCS and TCS were less likely to demonstrate lowered performance. There was some suggestion that TCS mediates the effect of anthropometric risk factors on cognitive function. Copyright © 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel

Evaluation of Implementation of Intermittent Screening and Treatment for Control of Malaria in Pregnancy in Jharkhand, India.

This study evaluated intermittent screening and treatment during pregnancy (ISTp) for malaria using rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) at antenatal care (ANC) compared with passive case detection within the routine health system. The mixed-method evaluation included two cross-sectional household surveys (pre- and post-implementation of ISTp), in-depth interviews with health workers, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with pregnant women. Differences in proportions between surveys for a number of outcomes were tested; 553 and 534 current and recently pregnant women were surveyed (pre- and post-implementation, respectively). In-depth interviews were conducted with 29 health providers, and 13 FGDs were held with pregnant women. The proportion of pregnant women who received an RDT for malaria at ANC at least once during their pregnancy increased from pre- to post-implementation (19.2%; 95% CI: 14.9, 24.3 versus 42.5%; 95% CI: 36.6, 48.7; P < 0.0001), and the proportion of women who had more than one RDT also increased (16.5%; 95% CI: 13.1, 20.5 versus 27.7%; 95% CI: 23.0, 33.0; P = 0.0008). Post-implementation, however, only 8% of women who had completed their pregnancy received an RDT on three visits to ANC. Health workers were positive about ISTp mainly because of their perception that many pregnant women with malaria were asymptomatic. Health workers perceived pregnant women to have reservations about ISTp because of their dislike of frequent blood withdrawal, but pregnant women themselves were more positive. Intermittent screening and treatment during pregnancy was not sufficiently adopted by health workers to ensure the increased detection of malaria infections achievable with this strategy in this setting

Increased immunoglobulin response to [gamma]-interferon by lymphocytes from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

The factors responsible for abnormal B-cell activation in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are incompletely understood. This study tested the hypothesis that the abnormal B-cell activation observed in human SLE may be due to an augmented response to a helper signal. We demonstrated that non-T cells from 10 of 19 SLE patients increased IgG production in response to interferon-[gamma] (IFN-[gamma]) by a mean factor of 20.9 +/- 3.9 over resting levels, while controls stimulated a mean factor of 3.0 +/- 0.5 (P &lt; 0.005). We found no relationship of IFN-[gamma] responsiveness to disease activity. Serotyping for HLA A, B, C, and D loci suggested that the hyperresponsiveness may be genetically linked to HLA-Cw7. We conclude that IFN-[gamma] may contribute to the development and perpetuation of SLE in a subset of patients with SLE.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27486/1/0000529.pd