A noise assessment and prediction system

A system has been designed to provide an assessment of noise levels that result from testing activities at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md. The system receives meteorological data from surface stations and an upper air sounding system. The data from these systems are sent to a meteorological model, which provides forecasting conditions for up to three hours from the test time. The meteorological data are then used as input into an acoustic ray trace model which projects sound level contours onto a two-dimensional display of the surrounding area. This information is sent to the meteorological office for verification, as well as the range control office, and the environmental office. To evaluate the noise level predictions, a series of microphones are located off the reservation to receive the sound and transmit this information back to the central display unit. The computer models are modular allowing for a variety of models to be utilized and tested to achieve the best agreement with data. This technique of prediction and model validation will be used to improve the noise assessment system

Composition and Potency Characterization of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Purified Protein Derivatives

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) purified protein derivatives (PPDs) are immunologic reagents prepared from cultured filtrates of the type strain. Traditional pro-duction consists of floating culture incubation at 37°C, organism inactivation by autoclaving, coarse filtration, and protein precipitation. Three traditional production PPDs were used in this study including lot 9801, which served as a reference and has been used in the field for decades. Alternative production PPDs (0902A and 0902B), in which the autoclaving step was removed, were also analyzed in this study. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed protein smearing in traditional PPDs, but distinct bands were observed in the alternative PPD preparations. Antibody bound distinct protein bands in the alternative PPDs by immunoblot analysis, whereas an immunoreactive smear was observed with the traditional PPDs. Mass spectrometry identified 194 proteins among three PPD lots representing the two different production methods, ten of which were present in all PPDs examined. Selected proteins identified by mass spectrometry were recombinantly expressed and purified from E. coli and evaluated by the guinea pig potency test. Seven recombinant proteins showed greater erythema as compared to the reference PPD lot 9801 in paired guinea pigs and were able to stimulate interferon-gamma production in blood from Johne’s positive animals. These results suggest that autoclaving culture suspensions is not a necessary step in PPD production and specific proteins could supplant the PPD antigen for intradermal skin testing procedures and for use as in-vitro assay reagents

Composition and Potency Characterization of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis Purified Protein Derivatives

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) purified protein derivatives (PPDs) are immunologic reagents prepared from cultured filtrates of the type strain. Traditional pro-duction consists of floating culture incubation at 37°C, organism inactivation by autoclaving, coarse filtration, and protein precipitation. Three traditional production PPDs were used in this study including lot 9801, which served as a reference and has been used in the field for decades. Alternative production PPDs (0902A and 0902B), in which the autoclaving step was removed, were also analyzed in this study. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed protein smearing in traditional PPDs, but distinct bands were observed in the alternative PPD preparations. Antibody bound distinct protein bands in the alternative PPDs by immunoblot analysis, whereas an immunoreactive smear was observed with the traditional PPDs. Mass spectrometry identified 194 proteins among three PPD lots representing the two different production methods, ten of which were present in all PPDs examined. Selected proteins identified by mass spectrometry were recombinantly expressed and purified from E. coli and evaluated by the guinea pig potency test. Seven recombinant proteins showed greater erythema as compared to the reference PPD lot 9801 in paired guinea pigs and were able to stimulate interferon-gamma production in blood from Johne’s positive animals. These results suggest that autoclaving culture suspensions is not a necessary step in PPD production and specific proteins could supplant the PPD antigen for intradermal skin testing procedures and for use as in-vitro assay reagents

Antiretroviral therapy and cardiovascular risk in people with HIV in the United States-an updated analysis

BACKGROUND: Several antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk, but less is known about the safety of modern ART. We sought to compare the risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) among different ART regimens. METHODS: Using insurance claims databases from 2008 to 2020, we identified adults aged \u3c65 years who newly initiated ART. We compared non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)-based regimens to protease inhibitors (PI)- and integrase inhibitors (INSTI)-based regimens. We used propensity score-weighted Kaplan-Meier functions to estimate the 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 48 months\u27 risk and risk differences (RD) of MACE. RESULTS: Among 37 935 ART initiators (median age, 40 years; 23% female; 26% Medicaid-insured), 45% started INSTI-, 16% PI-, and 39% NNRTI-based regimens. MACE occurred in 418 individuals (1.1%) within 48 months after ART initiation. Compared to NNRTI initiators, the risk of MACE was higher at 12 months (RD, 0.50; 95% CI, 0.14-0.99), 18 months (RD, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.11-1.06), and 24 months (RD, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.04-1.29) for PI initiators, and at 12 (RD, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.03-0.37) and 18 months (RD, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.06-0.54) for INSTI initiators; the precision of estimates was limited for longer duration of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Among ART initiators, PI-based and INSTI-based regimens were associated with higher short-term risk of MACE compared to NNRTI-based regimens. The pattern of association between INSTIs and PIs with excess risk of MACE was similar

Search for a Solution of the Pioneer Anomaly

In 1972 and 1973 the Pioneer 10 and 11 missions were launched. They were the first to explore the outer solar system and achieved stunning breakthroughs in deep-space exploration. But beginning in about 1980 an unmodeled force of \sim 8 \times 10^{-8} cm/s^2, directed approximately towards the Sun, appeared in the tracking data. It later was unambiguously verified as being in the data and not an artifact. The cause remains unknown (although radiant heat remains a likely origin). With time more and more effort has gone into understanding this anomaly (and also possibly related effects). We review the situation and describe ongoing programs to resolve the issue.Comment: 24 pages 8 figure

Convergence towards a European strategic culture? A constructivist framework for explaining changing norms.

The article contributes to the debate about the emergence of a European strategic culture to underpin a European Security and Defence Policy. Noting both conceptual and empirical weaknesses in the literature, the article disaggregates the concept of strategic culture and focuses on four types of norms concerning the means and ends for the use of force. The study argues that national strategic cultures are less resistant to change than commonly thought and that they have been subject to three types of learning pressures since 1989: changing threat perceptions, institutional socialization, and mediatized crisis learning. The combined effect of these mechanisms would be a process of convergence with regard to strategic norms prevalent in current EU countries. If the outlined hypotheses can be substantiated by further research the implications for ESDP are positive, especially if the EU acts cautiously in those cases which involve norms that are not yet sufficiently shared across countries

Rental Housing Assistance for the 21st Century

Current rental housing assistance programs are not designed to provide a safety net for people whose lives are volatile, or to encourage poor people to live in good locations. These failings can be corrected. HUD should establish a program of rental insurance-like mortgage insurance, but for renters. Low income housing assistance formulas should be revised to reward good neighborhood features, and punish bad

Association of inappropriate outpatient pediatric antibiotic prescriptions with adverse drug events and health care expenditures

Importance: Nonguideline antibiotic prescribing for the treatment of pediatric infections is common, but the consequences of inappropriate antibiotics are not well described. Objective: To evaluate the comparative safety and health care expenditures of inappropriate vs appropriate oral antibiotic prescriptions for common outpatient pediatric infections. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study included children aged 6 months to 17 years diagnosed with a bacterial infection (suppurative otitis media [OM], pharyngitis, sinusitis) or viral infection (influenza, viral upper respiratory infection [URI], bronchiolitis, bronchitis, nonsuppurative OM) as an outpatient from April 1, 2016, to September 30, 2018, in the IBM MarketScan Commercial Database. Data were analyzed from August to November 2021. Exposures: Inappropriate (ie, non-guideline-recommended) vs appropriate (ie, guideline-recommended) oral antibiotic agents dispensed from an outpatient pharmacy on the date of infection. Main Outcomes and Measures: Propensity score-weighted Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazards ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for the association between inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions and adverse drug events. Two-part models were used to calculate 30-day all-cause attributable health care expenditures by infection type. National-level annual attributable expenditures were calculated by scaling attributable expenditures in the study cohort to the national employer-sponsored insurance population. Results: The cohort included 2 804 245 eligible children (52% male; median [IQR] age, 8 [4-12] years). Overall, 31% to 36% received inappropriate antibiotics for bacterial infections and 4% to 70% for viral infections. Inappropriate antibiotics were associated with increased risk of several adverse drug events, including Clostridioides difficile infection and severe allergic reaction among children treated with a nonrecommended antibiotic agent for a bacterial infection (among patients with suppurative OM, C. difficile infection: HR, 6.23; 95% CI, 2.24-17.32; allergic reaction: HR, 4.14; 95% CI, 2.48-6.92). Thirty-day attributable health care expenditures were generally higher among children who received inappropriate antibiotics, ranging from $21 to$56 for bacterial infections and from -$96 to$97 for viral infections. National annual attributable expenditure estimates were highest for suppurative OM ($25.3 million), pharyngitis ($21.3 million), and viral URI ($19.1 million). Conclusions and Relevance: In this cohort study of children with common infections treated in an outpatient setting, inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions were common and associated with increased risks of adverse drug events and higher attributable health care expenditures. These findings highlight the individual- and national-level consequences of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing and further support implementation of outpatient antibiotic stewardship programs

The native architecture of a photosynthetic membrane

In photosynthesis, the harvesting of solar energy and its subsequent conversion into a stable charge separation are dependent upon an interconnected macromolecular network of membrane-associated chlorophyll–protein complexes. Although the detailed structure of each complex has been determined, the size and organization of this network are unknown. Here we show the use of atomic force microscopy to directly reveal a native bacterial photosynthetic membrane. This first view of any multi-component membrane shows the relative positions and associations of the photosynthetic complexes and reveals crucial new features of the organization of the network: we found that the membrane is divided into specialized domains each with a different network organization and in which one type of complex predominates. Two types of organization were found for the peripheral light-harvesting LH2 complex. In the first, groups of 10–20 molecules of LH2 form light-capture domains that interconnect linear arrays of dimers of core reaction centre (RC)–light-harvesting 1 (RC–LH1–PufX) complexes; in the second they were found outside these arrays in larger clusters. The LH1 complex is ideally positioned to function as an energy collection hub, temporarily storing it before transfer to the RC where photochemistry occurs: the elegant economy of the photosynthetic membrane is demonstrated by the close packing of these linear arrays, which are often only separated by narrow 'energy conduits' of LH2 just two or three complexes wide