A new method for producing optical mirrors

Pure silicon improves optical mirrors for use in telescopes and high resolution optical systems. Pure silicon is used in both mirror and substrate in environments where large thermal changes occur. It has applicability in astronomical devices

Airborne Fraunhofer Line Discriminator

Airborne Fraunhofer Line Discriminator enables prospecting for fluorescent materials, hydrography with fluorescent dyes, and plant studies based on fluorescence of chlorophyll. Optical unit design is the coincidence of Fraunhofer lines in the solar spectrum occurring at the characteristic wavelengths of some fluorescent materials

Fraunhofer line discriminator Final report

Airborne Fraunhofer line discriminato

Theoretical efficiency of the Princeton two-element echelle spectrograph

Echelle spectrometer for use with spaceborne stellar telescope in Advanced Princeton Satellite Stud

A General Approach to Casimir Force Problems Based on Local Reflection Amplitudes and Huygen's Principle

In this paper we describe an approach to Casimir Force problems that is ultimately generalizable to all fields, boundary conditions, and cavity geometries. This approach utilizes locally defined reflection amplitudes to express the energy per unit area of any Casimir interaction. To demonstrate this approach we solve a number of Casimir Force problems including the case of uniaxial boundary conditions in a parallel-plate cavity.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, Equation 18 has been corrected, [v1] contained a typ

Generation and analysis of a mouse intestinal metatranscriptome through Illumina based RNA-sequencing

With the advent of high through-put sequencing (HTS), the emerging science of metagenomics is transforming our understanding of the relationships of microbial communities with their environments. While metagenomics aims to catalogue the genes present in a sample through assessing which genes are actively expressed, metatranscriptomics can provide a mechanistic understanding of community inter-relationships. To achieve these goals, several challenges need to be addressed from sample preparation to sequence processing, statistical analysis and functional annotation. Here we use an inbred non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model in which germ-free animals were colonized with a defined mixture of eight commensal bacteria, to explore methods of RNA extraction and to develop a pipeline for the generation and analysis of metatranscriptomic data. Applying the Illumina HTS platform, we sequenced 12 NOD cecal samples prepared using multiple RNA-extraction protocols. The absence of a complete set of reference genomes necessitated a peptide-based search strategy. Up to 16% of sequence reads could be matched to a known bacterial gene. Phylogenetic analysis of the mapped ORFs revealed a distribution consistent with ribosomal RNA, the majority from Bacteroides or Clostridium species. To place these HTS data within a systems context, we mapped the relative abundance of corresponding Escherichia coli homologs onto metabolic and protein-protein interaction networks. These maps identified bacterial processes with components that were well-represented in the datasets. In summary this study highlights the potential of exploiting the economy of HTS platforms for metatranscriptomics

Internet Gaming Disorder in children and adolescents

The American Psychiatric Association recently included Internet gaming disorder (IGD) as a potential diagnosis, recommending that further study be conducted to help illuminate it more clearly. This paper is a summary of the review undertaken by the IGD Working Group as part of the 2015 National Academy of Sciences Sackler Colloquium on Digital Media and Developing Minds. By using measures based on or similar to the IGD definition, we found that prevalence rates range between ∼1% and 9%, depending on age, country, and other sample characteristics. The etiology of IGD is not well-understood at this time, although it appears that impulsiveness and high amounts of time gaming may be risk factors. Estimates for the length of time the disorder can last vary widely, but it is unclear why. Although the authors of several studies have demonstrated that IGD can be treated, no randomized controlled trials have yet been published, making any definitive statements about treatment impossible. IGD does, therefore, appear to be an area in which additional research is clearly needed. We discuss several of the critical questions that future research should address and provide recommendations for clinicians, policy makers, and educators on the basis of what we know at this time

Effectiveness of a Community Program for Older Adults with Type 2 Diabetes and Multimorbidity: A Pragmatic Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) affects upwards of 25% of Canadian older adults and is associated with high comorbidity and burden. Studies show that lifestyle factors and self-management are associated with improved health outcomes, but many studies lack rigour or exclude older adults, particularly those with multimorbidity. More evidence is needed on the effectiveness of community-based self-management programs in older adults with T2DM and multimorbidity. The study purpose is to evaluate the effect of a community-based intervention versus usual care on physical functioning, mental health, depressive symptoms, anxiety, self-efficacy, self-management, and healthcare costs in older adults with T2DM and 2 or more comorbidities. Methods Community-living older adults with T2DM and two or more chronic conditions were recruited from three Primary Care Networks (PCNs) in Alberta, Canada. Participants were randomly allocated to the intervention or control group in this pragmatic randomized controlled trial comparing the intervention to usual care. The intervention involved up to three in-home visits, a monthly group wellness program, monthly case conferencing, and care coordination. The primary outcome was physical functioning. Secondary outcomes included mental functioning, anxiety, depressive symptoms, self-efficacy, self-management, and the cost of healthcare service use. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed using ANCOVA modeling. Results Of 132 enrolled participants (70-Intervention, 62-Control), 42% were 75 years or older, 55% were female, and over 75% had at least six chronic conditions (in addition to T2DM). No significant group differences were seen for the baseline to six-month change in physical functioning (mean difference: -0.74; 95% CI: − 3.22, 1.74; p-value: 0.56), mental functioning (mean difference: 1.24; 95% CI: − 1.12, 3.60; p-value: 0.30), or other secondary outcomes.. Conclusion No significant group differences were seen for the primary outcome, physical functioning (PCS). Program implementation, baseline differences between study arms and chronic disease management services that are part of usual care may have contributed to the modest study results. Fruitful areas for future research include capturing clinical outcome measures and exploring the impact of varying the type and intensity of key intervention components such as exercise and diet

Integrated Personal Health Records: Transformative Tools for Consumer-Centric Care

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Integrated personal health records (PHRs) offer significant potential to stimulate transformational changes in health care delivery and self-care by patients. In 2006, an invitational roundtable sponsored by Kaiser Permanente Institute, the American Medical Informatics Association, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality was held to identify the transformative potential of PHRs, as well as barriers to realizing this potential and a framework for action to move them closer to the health care mainstream. This paper highlights and builds on the insights shared during the roundtable.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>While there is a spectrum of dominant PHR models, (standalone, tethered, integrated), the authors state that only the integrated model has true transformative potential to strengthen consumers' ability to manage their own health care. Integrated PHRs improve the quality, completeness, depth, and accessibility of health information provided by patients; enable facile communication between patients and providers; provide access to health knowledge for patients; ensure portability of medical records and other personal health information; and incorporate auto-population of content. Numerous factors impede widespread adoption of integrated PHRs: obstacles in the health care system/culture; issues of consumer confidence and trust; lack of technical standards for interoperability; lack of HIT infrastructure; the digital divide; uncertain value realization/ROI; and uncertain market demand. Recent efforts have led to progress on standards for integrated PHRs, and government agencies and private companies are offering different models to consumers, but substantial obstacles remain to be addressed. Immediate steps to advance integrated PHRs should include sharing existing knowledge and expanding knowledge about them, building on existing efforts, and continuing dialogue among public and private sector stakeholders.</p> <p>Summary</p> <p>Integrated PHRs promote active, ongoing patient collaboration in care delivery and decision making. With some exceptions, however, the integrated PHR model is still a theoretical framework for consumer-centric health care. The authors pose questions that need to be answered so that the field can move forward to realize the potential of integrated PHRs. How can integrated PHRs be moved from concept to practical application? Would a coordinating body expedite this progress? How can existing initiatives and policy levers serve as catalysts to advance integrated PHRs?</p

A hybrid digital parenting programme delivered within the Malaysian preschool system: protocol for a feasibility study of a small scale cluster randomised factorial trial

Background: Achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4, and in particular target 4.2, to ensure that all children have access to quality early childhood development, care and preprimary education so that they are ready for primary education, is far from being attained. COVID-19 further compromised progress by disrupting early education, reducing access to wellbeing resources, and increasing family violence. Evidence from low- and middle-income countries suggests in-person parenting interventions are effective at improving child learning and preventing violence. Scaling-up these programmes, however, is challenged because of resource constraints. Integrating digital and human-delivered intervention components is one potential solution to addressing these challenges. There is a need to understand the feasibility and the effectiveness of such interventions in low resource settings including Malaysia. Objectives: This study aims to determine the feasibility and the effectiveness of a digital parenting programme (Naungan Kasih) delivered with varying combinations of two components included to encourage engagement in Malaysia. The study is framed around the following objectives 1) to determine the recruitment, retention, and engagement rates in each intervention conditions; 2) to document implementation fidelity; 3) to explore programme acceptability among key stakeholders; 4) to estimate the costs of the intervention; and 5) to provide preliminary indications of the effectiveness of the different components. Methods: This ten week factorial cluster randomised trial compares ParentText, a chatbotled intervention that delivers parenting and violence prevention content to caregivers of preschool aged children, in combination with two engagement components 1) a WhatsApp support group, and 2) either one or two in-person sessions. The trial aims to recruit 160 primary and 160 secondary caregivers of children (aged between four and six years) from eight schools split equally across two states in Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur and Negeri Sembilan. Primary outcomes relate to the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention and its components, including recruitment, retention and engagement. Effectiveness outcomes include caregiver parenting practices, mental health and relationship quality, and child developmental and behavioural outcomes. The evaluation involves mixed methods research utilising quantitative surveys among caregivers, digitally tracked engagement data of caregivers’ usage of the digital intervention components, direct assessments of children, and focus group discussions with caregivers and key stakeholders of the preschool system. Results: Recruitment took place in December 2023. 208 parents were recruited at baseline: 151 primary caregivers, and 57 secondary caregivers. In January 2024, 168 parents enrolled in the programme. Results will be reported in the second half of 2024. Conclusions: This is the first factorial randomised trial to assess the feasibility of a hybrid human-digital playful parenting programme in Southeast Asia. The results of this study will inform a large-scale optimisation trial to establish the most effective, cost-effective, and scalable version of the intervention in Malaysia. Trial Registration: The trial was registered on the Open Science Framework on 5 December 2023 (https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/F32KY)