Improving the timeliness of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus antimicrobial decolonization therapy administration : a descriptive account

SummaryBackgroundIt is important to ensure that the timely administration of appropriate antimicrobial decolonization therapy occurs when patients are identified as meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-colonized. Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) with embedded Clinical Decision Support (CDS) may help to facilitate this.AimTo investigate changes in the average time from patient admission to administration of MRSA decolonization antimicrobial therapy in the context of various national and local infection control interventions, including the use of CPOE.MethodsData concerning the time of admission and of administration of patients' first MRSA decolonization antimicrobials were extracted from a locally developed CPOE system (Prescribing Investigation and Communications System: PICS) which was introduced at a large university teaching hospital in the UK in 1998. Data were extracted retrospectively from January 2006 to March 2012.FindingsA variety of relevant local and national interventions occurred from 2006 to 2012. Notably, the automatic charting of MRSA decolonization antimicrobial therapy was introduced in December 2007. There was a significant decline of 15.0% per year (95% confidence interval: 11.1–18.7%; P < 0.001) in the time taken from admission to administration of MRSA decolonization antimicrobial therapy during the study period.ConclusionsNumerous factors may have contributed to the observed reductions in the time from admission to administration of MRSA decolonization antimicrobials, including the implementation of specific features within a CPOE system. By rapidly attending to positive MRSA colonizations there is decreased potential for MRSA to spread, which may help to reduce the prevalence of MRSA colonizations within hospitals and improve patient outcomes

Biomechanical factors in the progression of idiopathic scoliosis

Idiopathic scoliosis is present when, in upright positions of the trunk, the spine curves to the side for unknown reasons. This paper reviews evidence concerning some biomechanical factors that might underlie the progression of such curves. The review concentrates on studies conducted in our laboratories. Arguments are made, based on biomechanical analyses and experiments, that progression occurs because of defects in the postural control system of the spine.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43994/1/10439_2006_Article_BF02371453.pd

Layered control architectures in robots and vertebrates

We revieiv recent research in robotics, neuroscience, evolutionary neurobiology, and ethology with the aim of highlighting some points of agreement and convergence. Specifically, we com pare Brooks' (1986) subsumption architecture for robot control with research in neuroscience demonstrating layered control systems in vertebrate brains, and with research in ethology that emphasizes the decomposition of control into multiple, intertwined behavior systems. From this perspective we then describe interesting parallels between the subsumption architecture and the natural layered behavior system that determines defense reactions in the rat. We then consider the action selection problem for robots and vertebrates and argue that, in addition to subsumption- like conflict resolution mechanisms, the vertebrate nervous system employs specialized selection mechanisms located in a group of central brain structures termed the basal ganglia. We suggest that similar specialized switching mechanisms might be employed in layered robot control archi tectures to provide effective and flexible action selection

Biotechnology and the Politics of Truth : From the Green Revolution to an Evergreen Revolution

This paper investigates why and how issues around the diffusion of GM technologies and products to developing countries have become so central to a debate which has shifted away from technical issues of cost-benefit optimisation in a context of uniform mass production and consumption in the North, to the moral case for GM crops to feed the hungry and aid ‘development’ in the South. Using comparison between agricultural biotechnology and the ‘Green Revolution’ as a cross cutting theme, the contributions of this paper are threefold. Firstly, by analysing biotechnology as a set of overlapping frames within a discursive formation, four frames are identified which summarise key challenges presented by biotechnology era. Secondly, the use of Foucault's concept of bio-power to synthesise key themes from the frame analysis illuminates the ‘revolutionary’ nature of the biotech revolution. Thirdly, the potential of actor-network theory to provide a tools for the empirical study of processes of (re)negotiation of nature/society relations in the context of agricultural biotechnology controversies is explored

Spatial representation for navigation in animats

This article considers the problem of spatial representation for animat navigation systems. It is proposed that the global navigation task, or "wayfinding, " is best supported by multiple interacting subsystems, each of which builds its own partial representation of relevant world knowledge. Evidence from the study of animal navigation is reviewed to demonstrate that similar principles underlie the wayfinding behavior of animals, including humans. A simulated wayfinding system is described that embodies and illustrates several of the themes identified with animat navigation. This system constructs a network of partial models of the quantitative spatial relations between groups of salient landmarks. Navigation tasks are solved by propagating egocentric view information through this network, using a simple but effective heuristic to arbitrate between multiple solutions

Improved Measurement of the dˉ/uˉ\bar d / \bar u Asymmetry in the Nucleon Sea

Measurements of the ratio of Drell-Yan yields from an 800 \rm{GeV/c} proton beam incident on liquid hydrogen and deuterium targets are reported. Approximately 360,000 Drell-Yan muon pairs remained after all cuts on the data. From these data, the ratio of anti-down ($\bar{d}$) to anti-up ($\bar{u}$) quark distributions in the proton sea is determined over a wide range in Bjorken-$x$. These results confirm previous measurements by E866 and extend them to lower $x$. From these data, $(\bar{d}-\bar{u})$ and $\int(\bar{d}-\bar{u})dx$ are evaluated for $0.015<x<0.35$. These results are compared with parameterizations of various parton distribution functions, models and experimental results from NA51, NMC, and HERMES.Comment: 17 pages, 15 figure