Efficacy of No-Nit Policies: An Integrative Literature Review

No-Nit policies have been used in schools since their introduction in the mid-1980s to combat the spread of head lice throughout a school community. The policies state that if a child is found to have live lice or lice eggs, termed ‘nits,’ they are not able to return to school until they can show a complete removal of all nits. Despite the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses condemning the use of these policies, schools continue to implement them to try to curtail head lice outbreaks. The research analyzed in this literature review has found that No-Nit policies tend to disrupt a child’s learning and are ineffective in limiting the spread of lice in schools. Exclusionary policies are not evidence based and should be discontinued in lieu of education and treatment programs that promote academic success

Augustana Seniors Fall 1884: Philip Dowell

Philip Dowell was a senior at Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois, in the fall of 1884. His name appears in the college catalog of 1884 – 1885, along with his birthplace, the year of his birth, and a few other facts. From this start, we researched the genealogy and family history of Dowell. This paper contains a short biography of Dowell, a report on his ancestors, a report on his descendants, and some open questions for further research

Automatic Gain Control Measurements as a Gps L1 Interference Detection Metric

Throughout the course of this research the validity and effectiveness of using automatic gain control measurements as a means of interference detection is explored. Global Navigation Satellite Systems are a crucial part of the global infrastructure and thus it is paramount that the signal coming from these systems is available to all users at all times. The original proclamation arises from the need to create methods of detection that are universally applicable to the vast spectrum of commercial off-the-shelf GNSS receivers in use today. Current forms of detection are found to be inadequate as they require additional hardware or extensive requirements in computation power. AGC is purposed as an alternative, therefore this paper first proves that there exists an inverse proportionality relationship between the AGC metric and the power level of the received signal. This is done through extensive experimentation of the AGC response characteristics of three COTS receivers with respect to varying types of input. With the relationship proven the paper then provides a set of GPS L1 RFI detection applications which take advantage of these findings. Finally, conclusions on the effectiveness of AGC and future applications are provided

An experimental design approach to the chemical characterisation of pectin polysaccharides extracted from Cucumis melo Inodorus

Extracted pectins have been utilised in a number of applications in both the food and pharmaceutical industries where they are generally used as gelling agents, thickeners and stabilisers, although a number of pectins have been shown to be bioactive. These functional properties will depend upon extraction conditions. A statistical experimental design approach was used to study the effects of extraction conditions pH, time and temperature on pectins extracted from Cucumis melo Inodorus. The results show that the chemical composition is very sensitive to these conditions and that this has a great influence on for example the degree of branching. Higher temperatures, lower pHs and longer extraction times lead to a loss of the more acid labile arabinofuranose residues present on the pectin side chain. The fitting of regression equations relating yield and composition to extraction conditions can therefore lead to tailor-made pectins for specific properties and/ or applications

Isolation and characterization of acetylated LM-pectins extracted from okra pods

Pectin was isolated by aqueous extraction at pH 6.0 or 2.0 from okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L.) pods. An isolation protocol was designed to extract pectin and to study the influence of the extraction pH on their composition and physicochemical properties. The extracted pectin was assessed using sugar compositional analysis (neutral sugars, galacturonic acid, acetyl and methyl contents). FT-IR and NMR spectroscopy, size exclusion chromatography (SEC) and dilute solution viscometry were also used to determine the macromolecular characteristics of isolated pectin. The extraction protocols resulted in the isolation of pectin of high purity as evidenced by their high total carbohydrate (70.0–81.8%) and low protein (4.3–6.3%) contents. Samples contained between 46 and 56% galacturonic acid, had broad molecular weight distributions, a low degree of methylation (40.0 and 24.6%) and high degree of acetylation (52.2 and 37.6%). Neutral sugar analysis showed that the pectin extracted at pH 6.0 contained more neutral sugars, particularly, galactose (21.7–25.7 mol%), rhamnose (10.1–13.2 mol%) and arabinose (7.1–7.3 mol%) than that extracted at pH 2.0 indicating variations in fine structure. In addition, molecular parameters of the isolated pectins, such as intrinsic viscosity (2.8–4.4 dL g−1), critical concentration (0.15–0.45 dL g−1) and coil overlap parameter (0.66–1.51), showed that extraction conditions resulted in pectin with different chain morphology. The yield and physico-chemical characteristics of the extracted pectin from okra pods were influenced by the extraction conditions

Fate of systemically and locally administered adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells and their effect on wound healing

There is increasing interest in the use of adipose-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ASCs) for wound repair. As the fate of administered cells is still poorly defined, we aimed to establish the location, survival, and effect of ASCs when administered either systemically or locally during wound repair under physiological conditions. To determine the behavior of ASCs, a rat model with wounds on the dorsal aspect of the hind paws was used and two treatment modes were assessed: ASCs administered systemically into the tail vein or locally around the wound. ASCs were transduced to express both firefly luciferase (Fluc) and green fluorescent protein to enable tracking by bioluminescence imaging and immunohistological analysis. Systemically administered ASCs were detected in the lungs 3 hours after injection with a decrease in luminescent signal at 48 hours and signal disappearance from 72 hours. No ASCs were detected in the wound. Locally administered ASCs remained strongly detectable for 7 days at the injection site and became distributed within the wound bed as early as 24 hours post injection with a significant increase observed at 72 hours. Systemically administered ASCs were filtered out in the lungs, whereas ASCs administered locally remained and survived not only at the injection site but were also detected within the wound bed. Both treatments led to enhanced wound closure. It appears that systemically administered ASCs have the potential to enhance wound repair distally from their site of entrapment in the lungs whereas locally administered ASCs enhanced wound repair as they became redistributed within the wound bed.The Swiss National Science Foundation Project (#310030_170132), Medical Faculty of University of Geneva, the South African Medical Research Council University Flagship Program (SAMRC-RFA-UFSP-01-2013/STEM CELLS), the SAMRC Extramural Unit for Stem Cell Research and Therapy, and the Institute for Cellular and MolecularMedicine (ICMM) of the University of Pretoria. The Fonds National Suisse de la Recherche Scientifique (FNSNF) and the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva for contributing to the funding in Geneva and the South African Medical Research Council (Flagship and Extramural Unit awards), the National Research Foundation (Scarce Skills Doctoral Scholarship, Grant UID: 88799), Ernst & Ethel Eriksen Trust (Doctoral Scholarship), University of Pretoria Bursary Office (Postgraduate Bursary), and the Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine (ICMM) of the University of Pretoria for contributing to the funding in South Africa.https://stemcellsjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/21576580am2020Immunolog

An Assessment of GPS Spoofing Detection Via Radio Power and Signal Quality Monitoring for Aviation Safety Operations

the ever growing threat of Global Positioning necessary for the aviation &mdash; System (GP sector to develop an effective means of detection. This paper focuses on two complementary spoofing detection techniques that are available on commercial GPS receivers and thus require no additional hardware to operate. The primary methodology for detection is using this combination of: Radio Power Monitoring (RPM) metrics, levering both Automatic Gain Control (AGC) and C/N0 measurements, along with multiple correlations for signal distortion to provide a best practices spoofing detection algorithm which is able to distinguish between interference and spoofing. The paper first assess nominal statistics for both metrics compiled from over 250 hours of nominal data collected from multiple Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) stations. This data is compared to previous collections to validate the thresholds and false alarms rates and establish a complete testing methodology. These test and thresholds are then assessed with the Texas Spoofing Test Battery (TEXBAT) series of GPS spoofing data sets to confirm detection capabilities. Finally, these test and thresholds are applied to assess the GPS signal of six extended flights&nbsp;&nbsp; r the United States to assess the performance on an aircraft.</p

Rotator Cuff Deficient Arthritis of the Glenohumeral Joint

Rotator cuff deficient arthritis of the glenohumeral joint, especially cuff tear arthropathy, has proved a challenging clinical entity for orthopaedic surgeons ever since Charles Neer originally detailed the problem in 1983. Understanding has improved regarding the pathophysiology and pathomechanics underlying cuff tear arthropathy. Surgical reconstruction options can lead to excellent outcomes for patients afflicted with these painful and functionally limited shoulders. Humeral hemiarthroplasty and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty have jumped to the forefront in the treatment of cuff tear arthropathy. As studies continue to look at the results of these procedures in cuff tear arthropathy, existing indications and treatment algorithms will be further refined. In this article the history and pathophysiology of cuff tear arthropathy are reviewed. Additionally, the clinical findings and results of surgical reconstruction are discussed

Point-of-care testing for <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i> IgG/IgM using <i>Toxoplasma</i> ICT IgG-IgM test with sera from the United States and implications for developing countries

Background: Congenital toxoplasmosis is a serious but preventable and treatable disease. Gestational screening facilitates early detection and treatment of primary acquisition. Thus, fetal infection can be promptly diagnosed and treated and outcomes can be improved. Methods: We tested 180 sera with the Toxoplasma ICT IgG-IgM point-of-care (POC) test. Sera were from 116 chronically infected persons (48 serotype II; 14 serotype I-III; 25 serotype I-IIIa; 28 serotype Atypical, haplogroup 12; 1 not typed). These represent strains of parasites infecting mothers of congenitally infected children in the U.S. 51 seronegative samples and 13 samples from recently infected persons known to be IgG/IgM positive within the prior 2.7 months also were tested. Interpretation was confirmed by two blinded observers. A comparison of costs for POC vs. commercial laboratory testing methods was performed. Results: We found that this new Toxoplasma ICT IgG-IgM POC test was highly sensitive (100%) and specific (100%) for distinguishing IgG/IgM-positive from negative sera. Use of such reliable POC tests can be cost-saving and benefit patients. Conclusions: Our work demonstrates that the Toxoplasma ICT IgG-IgM test can function reliably as a point-of-care test to diagnose Toxoplasma gondii infection in the U.S. This provides an opportunity to improve maternal-fetal care by using approaches, diagnostic tools, and medicines already available. This infection has serious, lifelong consequences for infected persons and their families. From the present study, it appears a simple, low-cost POC test is now available to help prevent morbidity/disability, decrease cost, and make gestational screening feasible. It also offers new options for improved prenatal care in low- and middle-income countries.</p