A strong performance by District community banks in 1998

Community banks in Tenth District states had another good year in 1998. They continued to benefit from solid growth in the district economy. And in contrast to some large banks in other parts of the country, they were largely unaffected by the turmoil in financial markets in the latter part of the year. To be sure, average profitability would have edged down in 1998 were it not for the decision by a substantial number of banks to change their tax status. Even accounting for this effect, however, district community banks remained highly profitable. ; Furthermore, overall loan quality showed no sign of deterioration, and loan growth and deposit growth were both healthy. Community banks in the district also compared favorably with their peers in the rest of the nation in all performance measures.Banks and banking ; Federal Reserve District, 10th

Guided Medical Data Segmentation Using Structure-Aligned Planar Contours

Segmentation of 3D/4D biological images is a critical step for a wide range of applications such as treatment planning, quantitative analysis, virtual simulations, and rendering visualizations. Automatic segmentation methods are becoming more reliable, but many experts still rely on manual intervention which makes segmentation a time and resource intensive bottleneck. Marking boundary contours in 3D images can be difficult when images are often noisy or the delineation of biological tissue is unclear. Non-parallel contours can be more accurate and reduce the amount of marking necessary, but require extra effort to ensure boundary consistency and maintain spatial orientation. This dissertation focuses three problems that pertain to drawing non-parallel contour networks and generating a segmentation surface from those networks. First a guided structure-aligned segmentation system is detailed that utilizes prior structure knowledge from past segmentations of similar data. It employs a contouring protocol to aid in navigating the volume data and support using arbitrarily-oriented contouring planes placed to capture or follow the global structure shape. A user study is provided to test how well novices perform segmentation using this system. The following two problems then aim to improve different aspects of this system. A new deformation approach to reconstruction is discussed which deforms previous segmentation meshes to fit protocol drawn contours from new data instances in order to obtain accurate segmentations that have the correct topology and general shape and preserves fine details. The focus is on the problem of finding a correspondence between a mesh and a set of contours describing a similar shape. And finally, a new robust algorithm that resolves inconsistencies in contour networks is detailed. Inconsistent contours are faster and less demanding to draw, and they allow the segmenter to focus on drawing boundaries and not maintaining consistency. However, inconsistency is detrimental to most reconstruction algorithms, so the network must be fixed as a post process after drawing

Laser ablation for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes

Single walled carbon nanotubes are produced in a novel apparatus by the laser-induced ablation of moving carbon target. The laser used is of high average power and ultra-fast pulsing. According to various preferred embodiments, the laser produces and output above about 50 watts/cm.sup.2 at a repetition rate above about 15 MHz and exhibits a pulse duration below about 10 picoseconds. The carbon, carbon/catalyst target and the laser beam are moved relative to one another and a focused flow of "side pumped", preheated inert gas is introduced near the point of ablation to minimize or eliminate interference by the ablated plume by removal of the plume and introduction of new target area for incidence with the laser beam. When the target is moved relative to the laser beam, rotational or translational movement may be imparted thereto, but rotation of the target is preferred

Laser ablation for the synthesis of carbon nanotubes

Single walled carbon nanotubes are produced in a novel apparatus by the laser-induced ablation of moving carbon target. The laser used is of high average power and ultra-fast pulsing. According to various preferred embodiments, the laser produces an output above about 50 watts/cm.sup.2 at a repetition rate above about 15 MHz and exhibits a pulse duration below about 10 picoseconds. The carbon, carbon/catalyst target and the laser beam are moved relative to one another and a focused flow of side pumped, preheated inert gas is introduced near the point of ablation to minimize or eliminate interference by the ablated plume by removal of the plume and introduction of new target area for incidence with the laser beam. When the target is moved relative to the laser beam, rotational or translational movement may be imparted thereto, but rotation of the target is preferred

Job-Related Burnout among Juvenile Probation Officers: Implications for Mental Health Stigma and Competency

The high demands and responsibilities of probation work, particularly with juvenile clients, may lead to burnout, which can negatively impact how probation officers work with clients, particularly individuals with behavioral health concerns. Yet, research examining burnout and related outcomes among juvenile probation officers (JPOs) is limited. We surveyed 246 JPOs in a Midwestern state to identify the prevalence, predictors, and potential outcomes of burnout. JPOs reported moderate levels of burnout; about 30% of the sample scored in the high range for emotional exhaustion and cynicism. Contrary to study hypotheses, there were no group-level differences in burnout scores across gender, race/ethnicity, age, or education. In regression models, burnout was predicted by being White (vs. minority), serving in an urban (vs. rural) county, dissatisfaction with department guidelines, job dissatisfaction, viewing job role as more treatment-oriented along the enforcement−treatment continuum, and turnover intention. JPOs with burnout were more likely to endorse mental health stigma and lack of mental health competency to address juvenile clients with behavioral health concerns. Findings suggest burnout prevention and intervention programs should be considered for JPOs to increase job satisfaction, limit job turnover, reduce burnout, and possibly increase effective practices for managing juvenile clients with behavioral health needs

Chronic administration of R-flurbiprofen attenuates learning impairments in transgenic amyloid precursor protein mice

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Long-term use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with a reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We and others have shown that certain NSAIDs reduce secretion of Aβ42 in cell culture and animal models, and that the effect of NSAIDs on Aβ42 is independent of the inhibition of cyclooxygenase by these compounds. Since Aβ42 is hypothesized to be the initiating pathologic molecule in AD, the ability of these compounds to lower Aβ42 selectively may be associated with their protective effect. We have previously identified <it>R</it>-flurbiprofen (tarenflurbil) as a selective Aβ42 lowering agent with greatly reduced cyclooxygenase activity that shows promise for testing this hypothesis. In this study we report the effect of chronic <it>R</it>-flurbiprofen treatment on cognition and Aβ loads in Tg2576 APP mice.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A four-month preventative treatment regimen with <it>R</it>-flurbiprofen (10 mg/kg/day) was administered to young Tg2576 mice prior to robust plaque or Aβ pathology. This treatment regimen improved spatial learning as assessed by the Morris water maze, indicated by an increased spatial bias during the third probe trial and an increased utilization of a place strategy to solve the water maze. These results are consistent with an improvement in hippocampal- and medial temporal lobe-dependent memory function. A modest, though not statistically significant, reduction in formic acid-soluble levels of Aβ was also observed. To determine if R-flurbiprofen could reverse cognitive deficits in Tg2576 mice where plaque pathology was already robust, a two-week therapeutic treatment was given to older Tg2576 mice with the same dose of <it>R</it>-flurbiprofen. This approach resulted in a significant decrease in Aβ plaque burden but no significant improvement in spatial learning.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We have found that chronic administration of <it>R</it>-flurbiprofen is able to attenuate spatial learning deficits if given prior to plaque deposition in Tg2576 mice. Given its ability to selectively target Aβ42 production and improve cognitive impairments in transgenic APP mice, as well as promising data from a phase 2 human clinical trial, future studies are needed to investigate the utility of <it>R</it>-flurbiprofen as an AD therapeutic and its possible mechanisms of action.</p

A decade of outcomes: The evolution of an australasian outcomes collaboration for chronic pain services

Since the establishment of the electronic Persistent Pain Outcomes Collaboration (ePPOC) in 2013, ongoing improvements in benchmarking and quality improvement activities have provided the opportunity for ePPOC to grow to support more than one hundred adult and pediatric services delivering care to Individuals living with persistent pain throughout Australia and New Zealand. These improvements straddle multiple domains, including benchmarking and indicators reports, internal and external research collaboration and the integration of quality improvement initiatives with pain services. This paper outlines improvements undertaken and lessons learned in relation to the growth and maintenance of a comprehensive outcomes registry and its articulation with pain services and the wider pain sector

Developing technology-based interventions for infectious diseases: ethical considerations for young sexual and gender minority people

Compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers, young sexual and gender minority (YSGM) people are more likely to contract sexually transmitted infections (STIs; e.g., HIV) and to face adverse consequences of emerging infections, such as COVID-19 and mpox. To reduce these sexual health disparities, technology-based interventions (TBIs) for STIs and emerging infections among YSGM adolescents and young adults have been developed. In this Perspective, we discuss ethical issues, ethical principles, and recommendations in the development and implementation of TBIs to address STIs and emerging infections among YSGM. Our discussion covers: (1) confidentiality, privacy, and data security (e.g., if TBI use is revealed, YSGM are at increased risk of discrimination and family rejection); (2) empowerment and autonomy (e.g., designing TBIs that can still function if YSGM users opt-out of multiple features and data collection requests); (3) evidence-based and quality controlled (e.g., going above and beyond minimum FDA effectiveness standards to protect vulnerable YSGM people); (4) cultural sensitivity and tailoring (e.g., using YSGM-specific models of prevention and intervention); (5) balancing inclusivity vs. group specificity (e.g., honoring YSGM heterogeneity); (6) duty to care (e.g., providing avenues to contact affirming healthcare professionals); (7) equitable access (e.g., prioritizing YSGM people living in low-resource, high-stigma areas); and (8) digital temperance (e.g., being careful with gamification because YSGM experience substantial screen time compared to their peers). We conclude that a community-engaged, YSGM-centered approach to TBI development and implementation is paramount to ethically preventing and treating STIs and emerging infections with innovative technology

Key Topics on End-of-Life Care for African Americans

Racial classifications of human populations are politically and socially determined. There is no biological or genetic basis for these racial classifications. Health behaviors may be influenced by culture and poverty. Disparities in health outcomes, sometimes resulting in higher mortality rates for African-Americans appear to influence end of life decision-making attitudes and behaviors. To improve the quality of end of life care in African-American communities, health care professionals must better understand and work to eliminate disparities in health care, increase their own skills, knowledge and confidence in palliative and hospice care, and improve awareness of the benefits and values of hospice and palliative care in their patients and families