Halogen occultation experiment (HALOE) optical witness-plate program

An optical witness plate program was implemented to monitor buildup of molecular contamination in the clean room during the assembly and testing of the Halogen Occulation Experiment (HALOE) instrument. Travel plates to monitor molecular contamination when the instrument is not in the clean room are also measured. The instrument technique is high-resolution transmission spectroscopy in the 3 micron spectral region using a Fourier transform spectrometer. Witness specimens of low index of refraction, infrared transmitting material are used for contaminant monitoring and for spectral signature analysis. Spectral signatures of possible molecular contamination are presented. No condensible volatile material contamination of HALOE optical witness specimens have yet been found

Paper Session I-B - In-Space Operations for Lunar and Mars Space Transfer Vehicles

The objective of this paper is to discuss the in-space operations required to process the lunar and Mars mission vehicles envisioned in early studies for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). Recent studies, which have examined the Degree to which on-orbit operations change as a function of the Earth-to-orbit (ETO) launch vehicle size, identified a common set of on-orbit vehicle processing tasks, and generated functional requirements for in-space processing nodes, are summarized in this paper

In-space operations for lunar and Mars space transfer vehicles

The objective of this paper is to discuss the in-space operations required to process the lunar and Mars mission vehicles envisioned for the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). Recent studies, which have examined the degree to which on-orbit operations change as a function of the Earth-to-orbit (ETO) launch vehicle size, identified a common set of on-orbit vehicle processing tasks, and generated functional requirements for in-space processing nodes are summarized in this paper. Timelines for on-orbit processing of two different lunar transfer vehicles (LTV's) were developed to compare a 'current practice,' labor-intensive EVA approach to ones utilizing telerobotics and advanced automation. LTV aerobrake concepts ranging from simple deployment to considerable assembly are compared. Similar timelines for the on-orbit processing of a nuclear Mars transfer vehicle (MTV) are also presented. Aerobrakes can be processed in a timely manner and should not be ruled out for SEI missions. The 'tall pole' time interval for on-orbit vehicle initial processing is the delivery of elements to orbit, not the processing tasks

CYCLICAL CONCENTRATION AND CONSOLIDATION IN BIOTECH R&D: A NEO-SCHUMPETERIAN MODEL

Over the past fifteen years, the agricultural biotechnology industry has exhibited cyclical behavior in concentration and consolidation. This paper provides a theoretical model of endogenous R&D, in which industry concentration exhibits cyclical behavior. The model also generates additional testable hypotheses, and policy implications.Industrial Organization, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Clinical inertia in the management of low-density lipoprotein abnormalities in an HIV clinic

A retrospective cohort study evaluating the frequency of and factors related to clinical inertia in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) management was performed. Subjects were 90 patients that were not meeting National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III LDL goals at the University of Alabama at Birmingham 1917 HIV/AIDS Clinic between 1 August 2004 and 1 August 2005. Clinical inertia was observed in 44% of cases. Patients with higher baseline LDL levels were less likely to experience inertia, whereas women and those in the highest coronary heart disease risk category were more likely to be affected

Nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor dosing errors in an outpatient HIV clinic in the electronic medical record era

Information on antiretroviral dosing errors among health care providers for outpatient human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients is lacking. We evaluated factors associated with nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor dosing errors in a university-based HIV clinic using an electronic medical record. Overall, older age, minority race or ethnicity, and didanosine use were related to such errors. Impaired renal function was more common in older patients and racial or ethnic minorities and, in conjunction with fixed-dose combination drugs, contributed to the higher rates of errors in nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor dosing. Understanding the factors related to nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor dosing errors is an important step in the building of preventive tools

Failure to establish HIV care: characterizing the no show phenomenon

It is estimated that up to one-third of persons with known human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the United States are not engaged in care. We evaluated factors associated with patients\u27 failure to establish outpatient HIV care at our clinic and found that females, racial minorities, and patients lacking private health insurance were more likely to be no shows. At the clinic level, longer waiting time from the call to schedule a new patient visit to the appointment date was associated with failure to establish care. Because increased numbers of patients will be in need of outpatient HIV care as a result of recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines advocating routine HIV testing, it is imperative that strategies to improve access are developed to overcome the no show phenomenon

Missed visits and mortality among patients establishing initial outpatient HIV treatment

BACKGROUND: Dramatic increases in the number of patients requiring linkage to treatment for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are anticipated in response to updated Centers for Disease Control and Prevention HIV testing recommendations that advocate routine, opt-out HIV testing. METHODS: A retrospective analysis nested within a prospective HIV clinical cohort study evaluated patients who established initial outpatient treatment for HIV infection at the University of Alabama at Birmingham 1917 HIV/AIDS Clinic from 1 January 2000 through 31 December 2005. Survival methods were used to evaluate the impact of missed visits during the first year of care on subsequent mortality in the context of other baseline sociodemographic, psychosocial, and clinical factors. Mortality was ascertained by query of the Social Security Death Index as of 1 August 2007. RESULTS: Among 543 study participants initiating outpatient care for HIV infection, 60% missed a visit within the first year. The mortality rate was 2.3 deaths per 100 person-years for patients who missed visits, compared with 1.0 deaths per 100 person-years for those who attended all scheduled appointments during the first year after establishing outpatient treatment (P = .02). In Cox proportional hazards analysis, higher hazards of death were independently associated with missed visits (hazard ratio, 2.90; 95% confidence interval, 1.28-6.56), older age (hazard ratio, 1.58 per 10 years of age; 95% confidence interval, 1.12-2.22), and baseline CD4+ cell count \u3c 200 cells/mm(3) (hazard ratio, 2.70; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-7.30). CONCLUSIONS: Patients who missed visits within the first year after initiating outpatient treatment for HIV infection had more than twice the rate of long-term mortality, compared with those patients who attended all scheduled appointments. We posit that early missed visits are not causally responsible for the higher observed mortality but, rather, identify those patients who are more likely to exhibit health behaviors that portend increased subsequent mortality

Trends in AIDS-defining and non-AIDS-defining malignancies among HIV-infected patients: 1989-2002

In a comparison of rates of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining malignancies (ADMs) for 1989-1996 versus 1997-2002, we found a decrease in ADMs (rate ratio, 0.31; P\u3c.0001) and a significant increase in non-AIDS-defining malignancies (non-ADMs; rate ratio, 10.87; P\u3c.0002). The mean CD4 cell count was lower among patients with ADMs than among those with non-ADMs. A longer duration of survival during highly active antiretroviral therapy might explain the increasing incidence of non-ADMs

Incident Stressful and Traumatic Life Events and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Sexual Transmission Risk Behaviors in a Longitudinal, Multisite Cohort Study

To assess the association between incident stressful life events (e.g., sexual and physical assault; housing instability; and major financial, employment, and legal difficulties) and unprotected anal or vaginal sexual intercourse (unprotected sex) among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA)