Results of A Local Combination Therapy Antibiogram For \u3cem\u3ePseudomonas Aeruginosa\u3c/em\u3e Isolates: Is Double Worth The Trouble?

Purpose: To determine the frequency at which fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides demonstrate in vitro activity against non-urinary, non-skin/skin structure Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates exhibiting decreased susceptibilities to one or more β-lactam agents. Methods: β-lactam-non-susceptible P. aeruginosa isolates recovered from blood, bone, lower respiratory tract, pleural fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, or peritoneal fluid cultures between October 2010 and October 2014 were reviewed from four community hospitals within a single health-system. Only the first isolate per patient was included for analysis. The likelihood that each isolate was susceptible to a non-β-lactam antimicrobial was then determined and summarized within a combination antibiogram. Results: In total, 179 P. aeruginosa isolates with decreased susceptibilities to one or more β-lactam agents were assessed. Because no appreciable differences in antimicrobial susceptibility profile were observed between hospitals, the isolates were evaluated in aggregate. Susceptibility rates for β-lactam monotherapy ranged from 34% to 75%. Aminoglycosides possessed increased antibacterial activity compared to fluoroquinolones. Tobramycin was the non-β-lactam most likely to expand antimicrobial coverage against β-lactam-non-susceptible P. aeruginosa with activity against 64%, 66%, and 65% of cefepime-, piperacillin-tazobactam-, and meropenem-non-susceptible isolates, respectively (p \u3c 0.001 for all). Conclusions: The results of this study support the use of aminoglycosides over fluoroquinolones for achieving optimal, empiric antimicrobial combination therapy for P. aeruginosa when dual antimicrobial therapy is clinically necessary. Future efforts aimed at optimizing combination therapy for P. aeruginosa should focus on systemic interventions that limit the selection of fluoroquinolones in combination with β-lactams to expand coverage based on local susceptibility rates

A New Low Reynolds Number Facility for Active Flow Control Applications

Recent interest in gaining understanding of the dynamics and behavior of the leading-edge vortex structure observed in biological flight systems has prompted the construction of a new low Reynolds number facility. This facility, a recirculating oil tunnel, gives several distinct advantages over similar facilities, utilizing water or air as the working fluid, for this kind of study. Additionally, as understanding is gained, active flow control strategies leading to the stabilization of the leading-edge vortex structure will be investigated, and this facility is specially equipped to enable this study. The tunnel has been designed and installed at the California Institute of Technology Graduate Aeronautical Laboratories. Design features of the facility will be discussed, along with some preliminary measurements conducted on a NACA 0012 wing

Influence of Miscibility of Protein-Sugar Lyophilizates on Their Storage Stability

For sugars to act as successful stabilizers of proteins during lyophilization and subsequent storage, they need to have several characteristics. One of them is that they need to be able to form interactions with the protein and for that miscibility is essential. To evaluate the influence of protein-sugar miscibility on protein storage stability, model protein IgG was lyophilized in the presence of various sugars of different molecular weight. By comparing solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy relaxation times of both protein and sugar on two different timescales, i.e., H-1 T-1 and H-1 T-1 rho, miscibility of the two components was established on a 2-5- and a 20-50-nm length scale, respectively, and related to protein storage stability. Smaller sugars showed better miscibility with IgG, and the tendency of IgG to aggregate during storage was lower for smaller sugars. The largest sugar performed worst and was phase separated on both length scales. Additionally, shorter protein H-1 T-1 relaxation times correlated with higher aggregation rates during storage. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay showed overlapping effects of aggregation and chemical degradation and did not correspond as well with the miscibility. Because of the small scale at which miscibility was determined (2-5 nm) and the size of the protein domains (similar to 2.5 x 2.5 x 5 nm), the miscibility data give an indirect measure of interaction between protein and sugar. This reduced interaction could be the result of steric hindrance, providing a possible explanation as to why smaller sugars show better miscibility and storage stability with the protein

The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: Two-Season ACTPol Spectra and Parameters

We present the temperature and polarization angular power spectra measured by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (ACTPol). We analyze night-time data collected during 2013-14 using two detector arrays at 149 GHz, from 548 deg$^2$ of sky on the celestial equator. We use these spectra, and the spectra measured with the MBAC camera on ACT from 2008-10, in combination with Planck and WMAP data to estimate cosmological parameters from the temperature, polarization, and temperature-polarization cross-correlations. We find the new ACTPol data to be consistent with the LCDM model. The ACTPol temperature-polarization cross-spectrum now provides stronger constraints on multiple parameters than the ACTPol temperature spectrum, including the baryon density, the acoustic peak angular scale, and the derived Hubble constant. Adding the new data to planck temperature data tightens the limits on damping tail parameters, for example reducing the joint uncertainty on the number of neutrino species and the primordial helium fraction by 20%.Comment: 23 pages, 25 figure

2020 Collage Concert

An exciting highlight each season, Collage is the signature production of the School of Music and a major fundraising event for supporting scholarships for music students. This special performance features over 200 student and faculty performers and includes jazz, orchestra, choir, band, percussion, and opera selections for soloists, chamber groups, and ensembles. Special lighting effects and stage design combine with the diverse and exciting program presented as rapid-fire, flowing vignettes to create a truly unique performance.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/2295/thumbnail.jp

Journal of Microelectronic Research - May 2003

https://scholarworks.rit.edu/meec_archive/1012/thumbnail.jp

Evidence of lensing of the cosmic microwave background by dark matter halos

We present evidence of the gravitational lensing of the cosmic microwave background by 1013 solar mass dark matter halos. Lensing convergence maps from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter (ACTPol) are stacked at the positions of around 12 000 optically selected CMASS galaxies from the SDSS-III/BOSS survey. The mean lensing signal is consistent with simulated dark matter halo profiles and is favored over a null signal at 3.2σ significance. This result demonstrates the potential of microwave background lensing to probe the dark matter distribution in galaxy group and galaxy cluster halos

Introductory programming: a systematic literature review

As computing becomes a mainstream discipline embedded in the school curriculum and acts as an enabler for an increasing range of academic disciplines in higher education, the literature on introductory programming is growing. Although there have been several reviews that focus on specific aspects of introductory programming, there has been no broad overview of the literature exploring recent trends across the breadth of introductory programming. This paper is the report of an ITiCSE working group that conducted a systematic review in order to gain an overview of the introductory programming literature. Partitioning the literature into papers addressing the student, teaching, the curriculum, and assessment, we explore trends, highlight advances in knowledge over the past 15 years, and indicate possible directions for future research

The atacama cosmology telescope: lensing of CMB temperature and polarization derived from cosmic infrared background cross-correlation

We present a measurement of the gravitational lensing of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) temperature and polarization fields obtained by cross-correlating the reconstructed convergence signal from the first season of Atacama Cosmology Telescope Polarimeter data at 146 GHz with Cosmic Infrared Background (CIB) fluctuations measured using the Planck satellite. Using an effective overlap area of 92.7 square degrees, we detect gravitational lensing of the CMB polarization by large-scale structure at a statistical significance of $4.5\sigma$. Combining both CMB temperature and polarization data gives a lensing detection at $9.1\sigma$ significance. A B-mode polarization lensing signal is present with a significance of $3.2\sigma$. We also present the first measurement of CMB lensing–CIB correlation at small scales corresponding to $l\gt 2000$. Null tests and systematic checks show that our results are not significantly biased by astrophysical or instrumental systematic effects, including Galactic dust. Fitting our measurements to the best-fit lensing-CIB cross-power spectrum measured in Planck data, scaled by an amplitude A, gives $A={1.02}_{-0.08}^{+0.12}$(stat.) ± 0.06(syst.), consistent with the Planck results