Compact IR laser for calibration of space based sensors

An Er:YAG laser, operating at 2.94 microns, has been developed for in-theater calibration of space based infrared sensors. The laser is used to illuminate a spaceborne sensor focal plane from a surveyed ground reference point. The known reference point is compared to the laser position reported by the sensor, and boresight corrections are made. The Er:YAG laser is side pumped by a InGaAs diode array and is tuned to an atmospheric microwindow with and intracavity etalon. This technology is being directly applied to meet Army requirements for enhanced deep strike targeting information supplied to theater weapons systems

Generar conciencia sobre minibasurales, contaminación por plásticos y otros R.S.U. una tarea de (responsabilidad) de todos

El presente artículo se refiere a los talleres teórico-prácticos desarrollados, en el marco del Proyecto Voluntariado “Las 3R” financiado por la SPU del Ministerio de Educación de la Nación, con el objeto de difundir y educar sobre contaminación por plásticos, residuos sólidos urbanos y el impacto ambiental negativo que se produce debido a la presencia de minibasurales en los distintos barrios de nuestra ciudad. Mediante el trabajo en conjunto entre docentes y estudiantes de los diferentes niveles educativos, instituciones, y personas interesadas en la problemática planteada se puede disminuir la contaminación debido a los mini basurales a cielo abierto, residuos plásticos (PET, HDPE, PP y otros) y en el proceso lograr que los participantes a los talleres adquieran un aprendizaje significativo sobre tipos de plásticos, usos, y la importancia que presentan los procesos de recolección, separación y reutilización de residuos plásticos. Los talleres son realizados por miembros del grupo GIESMA de la FaCENA con la participación de instituciones educativas del nivel primario y secundario y organizaciones religiosas como CARITAS Corrientes

A Combined Study on the Use of the Child Behavior Checklist 1½–5 for Identifying Autism Spectrum Disorders at 18 Months

The capacity of the Child Behavior Checklist 1½–5 (CBCL 1½–5) to identify children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at 18 months was tested on 37 children clinically referred for ASD and 46 children at elevated likelihood of developing ASD due to having an affected brother/sister. At 30 months the clinically referred children all received a confirmatory diagnosis, and 10 out of 46 siblings received a diagnosis of ASD. CBCL 1½-5 profiles were compared with a group of matched children with typical development (effect of cognitive level controlled for). The capacity of the CBCL 1½-5 DSM Oriented-Pervasive Developmental Problems scale to differentiate correctly between children diagnosed with ASD and children with typical development appeared dependent on group ascertainment methodology

Negative parental responses to coming out and family functioning in a sample of lesbian and gay young adults

Parental responses to youths' coming out (CO) are crucial to the subsequent adjustment of children and family. The present study investigated the negative parental reaction to the disclosure of same-sex attraction and the differences between maternal and paternal responses, as reported by their homosexual daughters and sons. Participants' perceptions of their parents' reactions (evaluated through the Perceived Parental Reactions Scale, PPRS), age at coming out, gender, parental political orientation, and religiosity involvement, the family functioning (assessed through the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, FACES IV), were assessed in 164 Italian gay and lesbian young adults. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the relation between family functioning and parental reaction to CO. The paired sample t-test was used to compare mothers and fathers' scores on the PPRS. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to analyze the relevance of each variable. No differences were found between mothers and fathers in their reaction to the disclosure. The analysis showed that a negative reaction to coming out was predicted by parents' right-wing political conservatism, strong religious beliefs, and higher scores in the scales Rigid and Enmeshed. Findings confirm that a negative parental reaction is the result of poor family resources to face a stressful situation and a strong belief in traditional values. These results have important implications in both clinical and social fields

Reutilización de botellas de plástico en la localidad de Saladas

El proyecto de extensión “Construir reciclando”, financiado por la Secretaría de Políticas Universitarias fue realizado por alumnos del Profesorado en Ciencias Químicas y del Ambiente junto a docentes de la FaCENA - UNNE. El mismo estuvo destinado a crear una actitud comprometida con el medio ambiente. El reciclado es un tema que nos afecta a todos por igual. El medio ambiente, los recursos naturales y el ser humano con todas sus actividades están estrechamente relacionados y si alguno de estos componentes influye de manera positiva o negativa sobre el/los otro/s, todo el sistema va a notar ese cambio. Este trabajo se realizó con alumnos y docentes de la Escuela Técnica Dr. Juan Gregorio Pujol, de la localidad de Saladas de la provincia de Corrientes. Las actividades desarrolladas se orientaron hacia la elaboración de ladrillos ecológicos como así también a la confección de “puff ” a partir de botellas de plástico descartable.Fil: Giménez, Andrea F.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Sotelo Gasfrascoli, Lucía V.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Legizamón, Andrea M.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Coronel, Silvia C.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: López, Romina N.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Booth, Yanina M. R.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: López, Antonella E.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Lasala, César G.. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Peyrano, Felicitas. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; ArgentinaFil: Vallejos, Margarita. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Química Básica y Aplicada del Nordeste Argentino. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Instituto de Química Básica y Aplicada del Nordeste Argentino; ArgentinaFil: Chaves, María Guadalupe. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Avanza, María Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste. Instituto de Química Básica y Aplicada del Nordeste Argentino. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Instituto de Química Básica y Aplicada del Nordeste Argentino; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; ArgentinaFil: Acevedo, Belén Andrea. Universidad Nacional del Nordeste. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Naturales y Agrimensura. Departamento de Química; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Nordeste; Argentin

Drug-Eluting Stents in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Prospective Registry Study

BACKGROUND: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is strongly associated with adverse outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). There are limited data on the effectiveness of drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients with CKD. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Of 3,752 consecutive patients enrolled in the Guthrie PCI Registry between 2001 and 2006, 436 patients with CKD - defined as a creatinine clearance <60 mL/min - were included in this study. Patients who received DES were compared to those who received bare metal stents (BMS). Patients were followed for a mean duration of 3 years after the index PCI to determine the prognostic impact of stent type. Study end-points were all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), target vessel revascularization (TVR), stent thrombosis (ST) and the composite of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as death, MI or TVR. Patients receiving DES in our study, by virtue of physician selection, had more stable coronary artery disease and had lower baseline risk of thrombotic or restenotic events. Kaplan-Meier estimates of proportions of patients reaching the end-points were significantly lower for DES vs. BMS for all-cause death (p = 0.0008), TVR (p = 0.029) and MACE (p = 0.0015), but not MI (p = 0.945) or ST (p = 0.88). Multivariable analysis with propensity adjustment demonstrated that DES implantation was an independent predictor of lower rates of all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR] 0.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.25-0.92), TVR (HR 0.50, 95% CI 0.27-0.94) and MACE (HR 0.62, 95% CI 0.41-0.94). CONCLUSIONS: In a contemporary PCI registry, selective use of DES in patients with CKD was safe and effective in the long term, with lower risk of all-cause death, TVR and MACE and similar risk of MI and ST as compared with BMS. The mortality benefit may be a result of selection bias and residual confounding, or represent a true finding; a hypothesis that warrants clarification by randomized clinical trials

European Registry on Helicobacter pylori management (Hp-EuReg): Patterns and trends in first-line empirical eradication prescription and outcomes of 5 years and 21 533 patients

Objective The best approach for Helicobacter pylori management remains unclear. An audit process is essential to ensure clinical practice is aligned with best standards of care. Design International multicentre prospective non-interventional registry starting in 2013 aimed to evaluate the decisions and outcomes in H. pylori management by European gastroenterologists. Patients were registered in an e-CRF by AEG-REDCap. Variables included demographics, previous eradication attempts, prescribed treatment, adverse events and outcomes. Data monitoring was performed to ensure data quality. Time-trend and geographical analyses were performed. Results 30 394 patients from 27 European countries were evaluated and 21 533 (78%) first-line empirical H. pylori treatments were included for analysis. Pretreatment resistance rates were 23% to clarithromycin, 32% to metronidazole and 13% to both. Triple therapy with amoxicillin and clarithromycin was most commonly prescribed (39%), achieving 81.5% modified intention-to-treat eradication rate. Over 90% eradication was obtained only with 10-day bismuth quadruple or 14-day concomitant treatments. Longer treatment duration, higher acid inhibition and compliance were associated with higher eradication rates. Time-trend analysis showed a region-dependent shift in prescriptions including abandoning triple therapies, using higher acid-inhibition and longer treatments, which was associated with an overall effectiveness increase (84%-90%). Conclusion Management of H. pylori infection by European gastroenterologists is heterogeneous, suboptimal and discrepant with current recommendations. Only quadruple therapies lasting at least 10 days are able to achieve over 90% eradication rates. European recommendations are being slowly and heterogeneously incorporated into routine clinical practice, which was associated with a corresponding increase in effectiveness

A prospective evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the TAXUS Element paclitaxel-eluting coronary stent system for the treatment of de novo coronary artery lesions: Design and statistical methods of the PERSEUS clinical program

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Paclitaxel-eluting stents decrease angiographic and clinical restenosis following percutaneous coronary intervention compared to bare metal stents. TAXUS Element is a third-generation paclitaxel-eluting stent which incorporates a novel, thinner-strut, platinum-enriched metal alloy platform. The stent is intended to have enhanced radiopacity and improved deliverability compared to other paclitaxel-eluting stents. The safety and efficacy of the TAXUS Element stent are being evaluated in the pivotal PERSEUS clinical trials.</p> <p>Methods/Design</p> <p>The PERSEUS trials include two parallel studies of the TAXUS Element stent in single, de novo coronary atherosclerotic lesions. The PERSEUS Workhorse study is a prospective, randomized (3:1), single-blind, non-inferiority trial in subjects with lesion length ≤28 mm and vessel diameter ≥2.75 mm to ≤4.0 mm which compares TAXUS Element to the TAXUS Express²paclitaxel-eluting stent system. The Workhorse study employs a novel Bayesian statistical approach that uses prior information to limit the number of study subjects exposed to the investigational device and thus provide a safer and more efficient analysis of the TAXUS Element stent. PERSEUS Small Vessel is a prospective, single-arm, superiority trial in subjects with lesion length ≤20 mm and vessel diameter ≥2.25 mm to <2.75 mm that compares TAXUS Element with a matched historical bare metal Express stent control.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The TAXUS PERSEUS clinical trial program uses a novel statistical approach to evaluate whether design and metal alloy iterations in the TAXUS Element stent platform provide comparable safety and improved procedural performance compared to the previous generation Express stent. PERSEUS trial enrollment is complete and primary endpoint data are expected in 2010. PERSEUS Workhorse and Small Vessel are registered at <url>http://www.clinicaltrials.gov</url>, identification numbers NCT00484315 and NCT00489541.</p