Development of Stress Relief Treatments for High Strength Aluminum Alloys Annual Report No. 2, 13 Aug. 1964 - 13 Aug. 1965

Residual stress, strength, and toughness response of high strength aluminum alloys subjected to time-temperature treatment

Navy-developed life support systems for fully enclosed protective suits

The development and performance of an environmental control unit capable of supporting a man in an impermeable suit at ambient temperatures up to 140 F for periods of up to two hrs is reported. The basic suit operation consists of cooling by wet ice contained in a suitcase. The system is designed to circulate and cool the air within the suit, to remove excess moisture and carbon dioxide, and to maintain a safe oxygen level

A qualitative exploration of HIV-positive pregnant women’s decision-making regarding abortion in Cape Town, South Africa

HIV-positive women’s abortion decisions were explored by: (i) investigating influencing factors; (ii) determining knowledge of abortion policy and public health services; and (iii) exploring abortion experiences. In-depth interviews were held with 24 HIVpositive women (15 had an abortion; 9 did not), recruited at public health facilities in Cape Town, South Africa. Negative perceptions towards HIV-positive pregnant women were reported. Women wanted abortions due to socio-economic hardship in conjunctionwith HIV-positive status. Respondents were generally aware that women in South Africa had a right to free abortions in public health facilities. Both positive and negative abortion experiences were described. Respondents reported no discrimination by providers due to their HIV-positive status. Most respondents reported not using contraceptives, while describing their pregnancies as ‘unexpected’. The majority of women who had abortions wanted to avoid another one, and would encourage other HIV-positive women to try to avoid abortion. However, most felt abortions were acceptable for HIV-positive women in some circumstances. Data suggestedthat stigma and discrimination affect connections between abortion, pregnancy and HIV/AIDS, and that abortion may be more stigmatised than HIV/AIDS. Study results provide important insights, and   any revision of reproductive health policy, services, counselling for abortion and HIV/AIDS care should address these issues

Characterization of small RNA populations in non-transgenic andaflatoxin-reducing-transformed peanut

Aflatoxin contamination is a major constraint in food production worldwide. In peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), these toxic and carcinogenic aflatoxins are mainly produced by Aspergillus flavus Link and A. parasiticus Speare. The use of RNA interference (RNAi) is a promising method to reduce or prevent the accumula-tion of aflatoxin in peanut seed. In this study, we performed high-throughput sequencing of small RNApopulations in a control line and in two transformed peanut lines that expressed an inverted repeattargeting five genes involved in the aflatoxin-biosynthesis pathway and that showed up to 100% less aflatoxin B1 than the controls. The objective was to determine the putative involvement of the smallRNA populations in aflatoxin reduction. In total, 41 known microRNA (miRNA) families and many novel miRNAs were identified. Among those, 89 known and 10 novel miRNAs were differentially expressed in the transformed lines. We furthermore found two small interfering RNAs derived from the inverted repeat, and 39 sRNAs that mapped without mismatches to the genome of A. flavus and were present only in the transformed lines. This information will increase our understanding of the effectiveness of RNAi and enable the possible improvement of the RNAi technology for the control of aflatoxins

Assessing Patients\u27 Perceptions of Clinician Communication: Acceptability of Brief Point-of-Care Surveys in Primary Care

BACKGROUND: Improving patient-centered (PC) communication is a priority in many healthcare organizations. Most PC communication metrics are distal to the care encounter and lack clear attribution, thereby reducing relevance for leaders and clinicians. OBJECTIVE: We assessed the acceptability of measuring PC communication at the point-of-care. DESIGN: A brief patient survey was conducted immediately post-primary care appointments at one Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Audit-feedback reports were created for clinicians and discussed in qualitative interviews. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 485 patients completed the survey. Thirteen interviews were conducted with clinicians and hospital leaders. MAIN MEASURE(S): Measures included collaboRATE (a 3-item tool measuring PC communication), a question about how well needs were met, and overall visit satisfaction. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics to characterize the mean and distribution of collaboRATE scores and determine the proportion of patients giving clinicians a top score on each item. Associations among responses were examined. Interviews focused on the value of measuring PC communication and were analyzed using a framework approach. KEY RESULTS: The proportion of patients giving PC communication top scores ranged from 41 to 92% for 16 clinicians who had \u3e /= 25 completed surveys. Among patients who gave top scores for PC communication, the odds of reporting that needs were completely met were 10.8 times higher (p \u3c .001) and the odds of reporting being very satisfied with their care were 13.3 times higher (p \u3c .001) compared with patients who did not give top scores. Interviewees found clinician-specific feedback useful; concerns included prioritizing this data when other measures are used to evaluate clinicians\u27 performance. Difficulties improving PC communication given organizational structures were noted. Recommendations for interventions included peer-to-peer education and mentoring by top-scoring clinicians. CONCLUSIONS: Assessing provider communication at the point-of-care is acceptable and useful to clinicians. Challenges remain to properly incentivize and support the use of this data for improving PC communication

First draft genome of \u3ci\u3eThecaphora frezii\u3c/i\u3e, causal agent of peanut smut disease

Objectives: The fungal pathogen Thecaphora frezii Carranza & Lindquist causes peanut smut, a severe disease currently endemic in Argentina. To study the ecology of T. frezii and to understand the mechanisms of smut resistance in peanut plants, it is crucial to know the genetics of this pathogen. The objective of this work was to isolate the pathogen and generate the first draft genome of T. frezii that will be the basis for analyzing its potential genetic diversity and its interaction with peanut cultivars. Our research group is working to identify peanut germplasm with smut resistance and to understand the genetics of the pathogen. Knowing the genome of T. frezii will help analyze potential variants of this pathogen and contribute to develop enhanced peanut germplasm with broader and long-lasting resistance. Data description: Thecaphora frezii isolate IPAVE 0401 (here referred as T.f.B7) was obtained from a single hyphal-tip culture, its DNA was sequenced using Pacific Biosciences Sequel II (PacBio) and Illumina NovaSeq6000 (Nova). Data from both sequencing platforms were combined and the de novo assembling estimated a 29.3 Mb genome size. Completeness of the genome examined using Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO) showed the assembly had 84.6% of the 758 genes in fungi_odb10

'You were quiet - I did all the marching': Research processes involved in hearing the voices of South Asian girls

This article is available open access through the publisher’s website at the link below. Copyright @ 2011 A B Academic Publishers.This article provides insights into the outcomes of reflection following two interview approaches used to explore narratives of the lived, individual experiences of South-Asian girls living in West London. In attempting to illuminate and re-present the cultural experiences as told by these girls, the choice of interview approach became critical in allowing the voices to be effectively heard (Rogers, 2005). This article therefore considers how a semi-structured interview approach offered valuable insights into the girls' experiences but became constraining for both researcher and participant in unveiling the complexity and depth of their lives. These constraints emerged through reflection by both participants and researcher. As a result of reflexivity during the research process, the researcher moved towards the use of research conversations during the second phase of the study. Ultimately the study revealed how the girls felt empowered by the opportunity to narrate their individual experiences and tell of their lives. In narrating their reflections on being part of the research, there was a clear recognition that the process facilitated the articulation of new voices and ‘multi-voicedness’ (Moen, 2006

Health care providers' attitudes towards termination of pregnancy: A qualitative study in South Africa

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite changes to the abortion legislation in South Africa in 1996, barriers to women accessing abortion services still exist including provider opposition to abortions and a shortage of trained and willing abortion care providers. The dearth of abortion providers undermines the availability of safe, legal abortion, and has serious implications for women's access to abortion services and health service planning.</p> <p>In South Africa, little is known about the personal and professional attitudes of individuals who are currently working in abortion service provision. Exploring the factors which determine health care providers' involvement or disengagement in abortion services may facilitate improvement in the planning and provision of future services.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Qualitative research methods were used to collect data. Thirty four in-depth interviews and one focus group discussion were conducted during 2006 and 2007 with health care providers who were involved in a range of abortion provision in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Complex patterns of service delivery were prevalent throughout many of the health care facilities, and fragmented levels of service provision operated in order to accommodate health care providers' willingness to be involved in different aspects of abortion provision. Related to this was the need expressed by many providers for dedicated, stand-alone abortion clinics thereby creating a more supportive environment for both clients and providers. Almost all providers were concerned about the numerous difficulties women faced in seeking an abortion and their general quality of care. An overriding concern was poor pre and post abortion counselling including contraceptive counselling and provision.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This is the first known qualitative study undertaken in South Africa exploring providers' attitudes towards abortion and adds to the body of information addressing the barriers to safe abortion services. In order to sustain a pool of abortion providers, programmes which both attract prospective abortion providers, and retain existing providers, needs to be developed and financial compensation for abortion care providers needs to be considered.</p