Intelligent Star Tracker

We describe our Intelligent Star Tracker System. Our Intelligent Star Tracker System incorporates an adaptive optic catadioptric telescope in a silicon carbide housing. Leveraging off of our active optic technologies, the novel active pixel position sensors (APPS) enable wide dynamic range and allows simultaneous imagery of faint and bright stars in a single image. Moreover, the APPS, in conjunction with the adaptive optics technologies, offer unprecedented accuracy in altitude and navigation applications

Intelligent Reconfigurable Integrated Satellite Processor

We present our Intelligent Reconfigurable Integrated Satellite (IRIS) Processor. At the heart of the system are our reconfigurable vision chips which are capable of massively parallel analog processing. The smart vision chips are capable of not only centroiding and pattern recognition but also tracking and controlling devices including MEMs devices and active pixel arrays. In addition to discussing the active optic and active electronic devices, several small satellite system applications are presented along with experimental and simulation results

Catastrophe and the Public Service: A Case Study of the Government Response to the Destruction of the World Trade Center

The destruction of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, resulted in a rapid response by government to evaluate the area and, in subsequent days, to bring the city back to a semblance of normalcy. This article provides a case study of government action in New York city during and after the World Trade Center catastrophe. What is most striking is the skill and intensity of government's response to the emergency and the hard work, dedication, and bravery of New York City's government officials. This article presents government and public service at its finest, under some of the most difficult conditions one can imagine

The cost of a primary care-based childhood obesity prevention intervention

Background: United States pediatric guidelines recommend that childhood obesity counseling be conducted in the primary care setting. Primary care-based interventions can be effective in improving health behaviors, but also costly. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cost of a primary care-based obesity prevention intervention targeting children between the ages of two and six years who are at elevated risk for obesity, measured against usual care. Methods: High Five for Kids was a cluster-randomized controlled clinical trial that aimed to modify children’s nutrition and TV viewing habits through a motivational interviewing intervention. We assessed visit-related costs from a societal perspective, including provider-incurred direct medical costs, provider-incurred equipment costs, parent time costs and parent out-of-pocket costs, in 2011 dollars for the intervention (n = 253) and usual care (n = 192) groups. We conducted a net cost analysis using both societal and health plan costing perspectives and conducted one-way sensitivity and uncertainty analyses on results. Results: The total costs for the intervention group and usual care groups in the first year of the intervention were $65,643 (95$64,522, $66,842]) and$12,192 (95% CI [$11,393,$13,174]). The mean costs for the intervention and usual care groups were $259 (95$255, $264]) and$63 (95% CI [$59,$69]) per child, respectively, for a incremental difference of $196 (95$191, $202]) per child. Children in the intervention group attended a mean of 2.4 of a possible 4 in-person visits and received 0.45 of a possible 2 counseling phone calls. Provider-incurred costs were the primary driver of cost estimates in sensitivity analyses. Conclusions: High Five for Kids was a resource-intensive intervention. Further studies are needed to assess the cost-effectiveness of the intervention relative to other pediatric obesity interventions. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00377767

Sentry bioconvertible inferior vena cava filter: Study of stages of incorporation in an experimental ovine model

The Sentry inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is designed to provide temporary protection from pulmonary embolism (PE) and then bioconvert to become incorporated in the vessel wall, leaving a patent IVC lumen. Objective. To evaluate the performance and stages of incorporation of the Sentry IVC filter in an ovine model. Methods. Twenty-four bioconvertible devices and 1 control retrievable filter were implanted in the infrarenal IVC of 25 sheep, with extensive daily monitoring and intensive imaging. Vessels and devices were analyzed at early (≤98 days, n = 10) and late (180 ± 30 days, n = 14 study devices, 1 control) termination and necropsy time-points. Results. Deployment success was 100% with all devices confirmed in filtering configuration, there were no filter-related complications, and bioconversion was 100% at termination with vessels widely patent. By 98 days for all early-incorporation analysis animals, the stabilizing cylindrical part of the Sentry frame was incorporated in the vessel wall, and the filter arms were retracted. By 180 days for all late-incorporation analysis animals, the filter arms as well as frames were stably incorporated. Conclusions. Through 180 days, there were no filter-related complications, and the study devices were all bioconverted and stably incorporated, leaving all IVCs patent

Induction of Lrp5 HBM-causing mutations in Cathepsin-K expressing cells alters bone metabolism

High-bone-mass (HBM)-causing missense mutations in the low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein-5 (Lrp5) are associated with increased osteoanabolic action and protection from disuse- and ovariectomy-induced osteopenia. These mutations (e.g., A214V and G171V) confer resistance to endogenous secreted Lrp5/6 inhibitors, such as sclerostin (SOST) and Dickkopf homolog-1 (DKK1). Cells in the osteoblast lineage are responsive to canonical Wnt stimulation, but recent work has indicated that osteoclasts exhibit both indirect and direct responsiveness to canonical Wnt. Whether Lrp5-HBM receptors, expressed in osteoclasts, might alter osteoclast differentiation, activity, and consequent net bone balance in the skeleton, is not known. To address this, we bred mice harboring heterozygous Lrp5 HBM-causing conditional knock-in alleles to Ctsk-Cre transgenic mice and studied the phenotype using DXA, μCT, histomorphometry, serum assays, and primary cell culture. Mice with HBM alleles induced in Ctsk-expressing cells (TG) exhibited higher bone mass and architectural properties compared to non-transgenic (NTG) counterparts. In vivo and in vitro measurements of osteoclast activity, population density, and differentiation yielded significant reductions in osteoclast-related parameters in female but not male TG mice. Droplet digital PCR performed on osteocyte enriched cortical bone tubes from TG and NTG mice revealed that ~8–17% of the osteocyte population (depending on sex) underwent recombination of the conditional Lrp5 allele in the presence of Ctsk-Cre. Further, bone formation parameters in the midshaft femur cortex show a small but significant increase in anabolic action on the endocortical but not periosteal surface. These findings suggest that Wnt/Lrp5 signaling in osteoclasts affects osteoclastogenesis and activity in female mice, but also that some of the changes in bone mass in TG mice might be due to Cre expression in the osteocyte population

Expression of a Degradation‐Resistant β‐Catenin Mutant in Osteocytes Protects the Skeleton From Mechanodeprivation‐Induced Bone Wasting

Mechanical stimulation is a key regulator of bone mass, maintenance, and turnover. Wnt signaling is a key regulator of mechanotransduction in bone, but the role of β‐catenin—an intracellular signaling node in the canonical Wnt pathway—in disuse mechanotransduction is not defined. Using the β‐catenin exon 3 flox (constitutively active [CA]) mouse model, in conjunction with a tamoxifen‐inducible, osteocyte‐selective Cre driver, we evaluated the effects of degradation‐resistant β‐catenin on bone properties during disuse. We hypothesized that if β‐catenin plays an important role in Wnt‐mediated osteoprotection, then artificial stabilization of β‐catenin in osteocytes would protect the limbs from disuse‐induced bone wasting. Two disuse models were tested: tail suspension, which models fluid shift, and botulinum‐toxin (botox)‐induced muscle paralysis, which models loss of muscle force. Tail suspension was associated with a significant loss of tibial bone mass and density, reduced architectural properties, and decreased bone formation indices in uninduced (control) mice, as assessed by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA), micro‐computed tomography (µCT), and histomorphometry. Activation of the βcatCA allele in tail‐suspended mice resulted in little to no change in those properties; ie, these mice were protected from bone loss. Similar protective effects were observed among botox‐treated mice when the βcatCA was activated. RNAseq analysis of altered gene regulation in tail‐suspended mice yielded 35 genes, including Wnt11, Gli1, Nell1, Gdf5, and Pgf, which were significantly differentially regulated between tail‐suspended β‐catenin stabilized mice and tail‐suspended nonstabilized mice. Our findings indicate that selectively targeting/blocking of β‐catenin degradation in bone cells could have therapeutic implications in mechanically induced bone disease

Using Automated Health Plan Data to Assess Infection Risk from Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

We determined if infection indicators were sufficiently consistent across health plans to allow comparison of hospitals’ risks of infection after coronary artery bypass surgery. Three managed care organizations accounted for 90% of managed care in eastern Massachusetts, from October 1996 through March 1999. We searched automated inpatient and outpatient claims and outpatient pharmacy dispensing files for indicator codes suggestive of postoperative surgical site infection. We reviewed full text medical records of patients with indicator codes to confirm infection status. We compared the hospital-specific proportions of cases with an indicator code, adjusting for health plan, age, sex, and chronic disease score. A total of 536 (27%) of 1,953 patients had infection indicators. Infection was confirmed in 79 (53%) of 149 reviewed records with adequate documentation. The proportion of patients with an indicator of infection varied significantly (p<0.001) between hospitals (19% to 36%) and health plans (22% to 33%). The difference between hospitals persisted after adjustment for health plan and patients’ age and sex. Similar relationships were observed when postoperative antibiotic information was ignored. Automated claims and pharmacy data from different health plans can be used together to allow inexpensive, routine monitoring of indicators of postoperative infection, with the goal of identifying institutions that can be further evaluated to determine if risks for infection can be reduced

Structure and correlates of self-reported empathy in schizophrenia

Research on empathy in schizophrenia has relied on dated self-report scales that do not conform to contemporary social neuroscience models of empathy. The current study evaluated the structure and correlates of the recently-developed Questionnaire of Cognitive and Affective Empathy (QCAE) in schizophrenia. This measure, whose structure and validity was established in healthy individuals, includes separate scales to assess the two main components of empathy: Cognitive Empathy (assessed by two subscales) and Affective Empathy (assessed by three subscales). Stable outpatients with schizophrenia (n=145) and healthy individuals (n= 45) completed the QCAE, alternative measures of empathy, and assessments of clinical symptoms, neurocognition, and functional outcome. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses provided consistent support for a two-factor solution in the schizophrenia group, justifying the use of separate cognitive and affective empathy scales in this population. However, one of the three Affective Empathy subscales was not psychometrically sound and was excluded from further analyses. Patients reported significantly lower Cognitive Empathy but higher Affective Empathy than controls. Among patients, the QCAE scales showed significant correlations with an alternative self-report empathy scale, but not with performance on an empathic accuracy task. The QCAE Cognitive Empathy subscales also showed significant, though modest, correlations with negative symptoms and functional outcome. These findings indicate that structure of self-reported empathy is similar in people with schizophrenia and healthy subjects, and can be meaningfully compared between groups. They also contribute to emerging evidence that some aspects of empathy may be intact or hyper-responsive in schizophrenia