An approach to a real-time distribution system

The requirements of a real-time data distribution system are to provide fast, reliable delivery of data from source to destination with little or no impact to the data source. In this particular case, the data sources are inside an operational environment, the Mission Control Center (MCC), and any workstation receiving data directly from the operational computer must conform to the software standards of the MCC. In order to supply data to development workstations outside of the MCC, it is necessary to use gateway computers that prevent unauthorized data transfer back to the operational computers. Many software programs produced on the development workstations are targeted for real-time operation. Therefore, these programs must migrate from the development workstation to the operational workstation. It is yet another requirement for the Data Distribution System to ensure smooth transition of the data interfaces for the application developers. A standard data interface model has already been set up for the operational environment, so the interface between the distribution system and the application software was developed to match that model as closely as possible. The system as a whole therefore allows the rapid development of real-time applications without impacting the data sources. In summary, this approach to a real-time data distribution system provides development users outside of the MCC with an interface to MCC real-time data sources. In addition, the data interface was developed with a flexible and portable software design. This design allows for the smooth transition of new real-time applications to the MCC operational environment

Cauliflower, a New Recessive Mutation in Tomato

Author Institution: Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, The Ohio State University, Columbus 10, and The Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, Wooste

INN Placement Website

Work experience is a valuable experience for all students. It can be hard for students to find work experience and sometimes challenging for them to understand the job market. Students at Innovation North have an opportunity to undertake a Placement year between L5 and L6 and this is something we wish to actively promote, support and encourage. Innovation North had a website which held the details of the work opportunities, it was very dated, contained no images and was cumbersome to search. The project was to create a new website for Innovation North students holding details of all work placements (short, long term, voluntary, paid). Specification for the site included search facilities, providing information and giving reflections from students who had undertaken work opportunities. The website has been developed by three INN students. It has been live since September 2009

The respiratory pathology in infants with sudden unexpected deaths in whom respiratory specimens were initially PCR-positive or PCR-negative for Bordetella pertussis

Background: In a previous controlled study, we investigated the relationship between Bordetella pertussis infections and sudden unexpected deaths among German infants (sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS). In this present study, we investigated further the respiratory pathology in a subset of infants in the original study. Methods: Originally, there were 234 infants with SIDS and, of these, 12 had either a nasopharyngeal swab (NPS) or a tracheal swab specimen (TS) that was positive for B. pertussis by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Here, tissue specimens from eight infants who were originally PCR-positive were compared with tissue specimens from seven infants in whom the original PCR studies were negative. Results: The histopathologic diagnoses were as follows: 14 of 15 had pulmonary edema and the remaining case had early diffuse alveolar damage. Although 14 of 15 cases had some histologic or clinical evidence suggesting respiratory tract infection, the features were more consistent with a viral etiology, and in none were the findings typical of respiratory disease attributable to B. pertussis. Conclusions: The findings in this present investigation do not support a direct role of B. pertussis at the site of infection (ciliated epithelium) in the causation of SIDS. The clinical aspects of this study were carried out in the 1990s when pertussis was widespread in Germany. Therefore, the original finding of some PCR-positive cases is not surprising. The possibility that B. pertussis infection could still be a factor in some SIDS cases, e.g., by a systemic release of toxins, cannot be definitely ruled ou

How Much is Post-Acute Care Use Affected by Its Availability?

To assess the relative impact of clinical factors versus non-clinical factors such as post acute care (PAC) supply - in determining whether patients receive care from skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) or inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) after discharge from acute care. Medicare acute hospital, IRF and SNF claims provided data on PAC choices; predictors of site of PAC chosen were generated from Medicare claims, provider of services, enrollment file, and Area Resource File data. We used multinomial logit models to predict post-acute care use by elderly patients after hospitalizations for stroke, hip fractures, or lower extremity joint replacements. A file was constructed linking Medicare acute and post-acute utilization data for all sample patients hospitalized in 1999. PAC availability is a more powerful predictor of PAC use than the clinical characteristics in many of our models. The effects of distance to providers and supply of providers are particularly clear in the choice between IRF and SNF care. The farther away the nearest IRF is, and the closer the nearest SNF is, the less likely a patient is to go to an IRF. Similarly, the fewer IRFs, and the more SNFs, there are in the patient's area the less likely the patient is to go to an IRF. In addition, if the hospital from which the patient is discharged has a related IRF or a related SNF the patient is more likely to go there. We find that the availability of PAC is a major determinant of whether patients use such care and which type of PAC facility they use. Further research is needed in order to evaluate whether these findings indicate that a greater supply of PAC leads to both higher use of institutional care and better outcomes or whether it leads to unwarranted expenditures of resources and delays in returning patients to their homes.

Effects of dogmatism on computer literacy*

Dogmatism and other individual characteristics affect the level of computer literacy (information fundamentals) reached in the introductory courses in Management Information Systems (MIS), perhaps as much as the investment education institution have made in software and hardware. This paper reports on the results of a questionnaire on computer literacy, dogmatism, and KolVs Learning Styles Inventory (KLSI) given to 80 students at the end of an introductory MIS course. Differences in the literacy and learning styles were analyzed from the perspective of dogmatism. The results indicated thai the scores in dogmatism inversely matched the scores in computer literacy. The effects of dogmatism on learning styles was mixed. To increase the levels of computer literacy, we need to examine other personal characteristics as they apply to learning computer and information teamologies

The human ehrlichioses in the United States.

The emerging tick-borne zoonoses human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) and human granulocytic ehrlichiosis (HGE) are under reported in the United States. From 1986 through 1997, 1,223 cases (742 HME, 449 HGE, and 32 not ascribed to a specific ehrlichial agent) were reported by state health departments. HME was most commonly reported from southeastern and southcentral states, while HGE was most often reported from northeastern and upper midwestern states. The annual number of reported cases increased sharply, from 69 in 1994 to 364 in 1997, coincident with an increase in the number of states making these conditions notifiable. From 1986 through 1997, 827 probable and confirmed cases were diagnosed by serologic testing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, although how many of these cases were also reported by states is not known. Improved national surveillance would provide a better assessment of the public health importance of ehrlichiosis

A Five-year Spectroscopic and Photometric Campaign on the Prototypical alpha Cygni Variable and A-type Supergiant Star Deneb

Deneb is often considered the prototypical A-type supergiant, and is one of the visually most luminous stars in the Galaxy. A-type supergiants are potential extragalactic distance indicators, but the variability of these stars needs to be better characterized before this technique can be considered reliable. We analyzed 339 high resolution echelle spectra of Deneb obtained over the five-year span of 1997 through 2001 as well as 370 Stromgren photometric measurements obtained during the same time frame. Our spectroscopic analysis included dynamical spectra of the H-alpha profile, H-alpha equivalent widths, and radial velocities measured from Si II 6347, 6371. Time-series analysis reveals no obvious cyclic behavior that proceeds through multiple observing seasons, although we found a suspected 40 day period in two, non-consecutive observing seasons. Some correlations are found between photometric and radial velocity data sets, and suggest radial pulsations at two epochs. No correlation is found between the variability of the H-alpha profiles and that of the radial velocities or the photometry. Lucy (1976) found evidence that Deneb was a long period single-lined spectroscopic binary star, but our data set shows no evidence for radial velocity variations caused by a binary companion.Comment: 49 pages, 9 figures, 5 tables, accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

Avoiding skull radiographs in infants with suspected inflicted injury who also undergo head CT : “a no-brainer?”

Objectives To assess whether head CT with 3D reconstruction can replace skull radiographs (SXR) in the imaging investigation of suspected physical abuse (SPA)/abusive head trauma (AHT). Methods PACS was interrogated for antemortem skeletal surveys performed for SPA, patients younger than 2 years, SXR and CT performed within 4 days of each other. Paired SXR and CT were independently reviewed. One reviewer analysed CT without and (3 months later) with 3D reconstructions. SXR and CT expert consensus review formed the gold standard. Observer reliability was calculated. Results A total of 104 SXR/CT examination pairs were identified, mean age 6.75 months (range 4 days to 2 years); 21 (20%) had skull fractures; two fractures on CT were missed on SXR. There were no fractures on SXR that were not seen on CT. For SXR and CT, respectively: PPV reviewer 1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 48–82% and 85–100%; reviewer 2, 67–98% and 82–100%; and NPV reviewer 1, 95%, CI 88–98% and 96–100%; reviewer 2, 88–97% and 88–98%. Inter- and intra-observer reliability were respectively the following: SXR, excellent (kappa = 0.831) and good (kappa = 0.694); CT, excellent (kappa = 0.831) and perfect (kappa = 1). All results were statistically significant (p < 0.001). Conclusions CT has greater diagnostic accuracy than SXR in detecting skull fractures which is increased on concurrent review of 3D reconstructions and should be performed in every case of SPA/AHT. SXR does not add further diagnostic information and can be omitted from the skeletal survey when CT with 3D reconstruction is going to be, or has been, performed

Human Spotted Fever Rickettsial Infections

Serum specimens from patients at 4 sites in Peru were tested for evidence of spotted fever group rickettsial infection. Results showed that 30 (18%) of 170 patients had spotted fever group rickettsial infections, which likely caused their illnesses. These findings document laboratory-confirmed spotted fever from diverse areas of Peru