The effects of heat versus cold disinfection on the Wesley-Jessen Durasoft 4 Litetint soft contact lens

An evaluation of the Wesley-Jessen 74% water Durasoft 4 LiteTint soft contact lens was made using 18 lenses on nine subjects and two pairs of control lenses. Five subjects cold disinfected the lenses and four subjects heat disinfected the lenses using Softmate PS regimens. One pair of control lenses was disinfected with each system . The results of the study show that heat disinfection can damage these lenses. Three of five pairs of lenses that were heat disinfected showed discoloration upon completion of the study. This includes one pair of control lenses which were heated once daily for 6 months, the duration of the study. All cold disinfected lenses remained normal. Other results show problems with Durasoft 4 lenses not attributable to the type of disinfection used. These problems include: difficulty in handling and determining whether inside-out or not, discomfort and severe drying symptoms, a rapid decrease in wearing time, and a tendency to accumulate deposits rapidly. Only one subject remained in the study for the 6 month duration. All others left early due to lens discomfort. Each subject was seen on a follow-up schedule and normal clinical methods were used to evaluate symptomology, fitting characteristics, and refractive changes. The results suggest that dehydration in these high water content lenses is the primary problem leading to discomfort

A framework for design engineering education in a global context

This paper presents a framework for teaching design engineering in a global context using innovative technologies to enable distributed teams to work together effectively across international and cultural boundaries. The DIDET Framework represents the findings of a 5-year project conducted by the University of Strathclyde, Stanford University and Olin College which enhanced student learning opportunities by enabling them to partake in global, team based design engineering projects, directly experiencing different cultural contexts and accessing a variety of digital information sources via a range of innovative technology. The use of innovative technology enabled the formalization of design knowledge within international student teams as did the methods that were developed for students to store, share and reuse information. Coaching methods were used by teaching staff to support distributed teams and evaluation work on relevant classes was carried out regularly to allow ongoing improvement of learning and teaching and show improvements in student learning. Major findings of the 5 year project include the requirement to overcome technological, pedagogical and cultural issues for successful eLearning implementations. The DIDET Framework encapsulates all the conclusions relating to design engineering in a global context. Each of the principles for effective distributed design learning is shown along with relevant findings and suggested metrics. The findings detailed in the paper were reached through a series of interventions in design engineering education at the collaborating institutions. Evaluation was carried out on an ongoing basis and fed back into project development, both on the pedagogical and the technological approaches

Vibration Mitigation for Brewery Stockhouse Demolition

Nineteen thirty\u27s vintage reinforced concrete brewery stockhouses, collectively known as Borsari Cellars, were demolished to make space for the construction of a new stockhouse. (A brewery stockhouse is a refrigerated building containing beer storage or aging tanks.) The stockhouses to be demolished shared three common walls with two other stockhouses which were to remain intact during the demolition. It was necessary that the three shared walls remain attached to the remaining stockhouses and that the demolition take place without causing vibration damage to glass-lined tanks in the remaining stockhouse, adjacent stockhouscs, and to several underground tunnels present below the demolition site. The following tasks were performed to successfully complete this project: (I) design and install a rock-anchored tie-back system for retaining the three shared walls: (2) evaluate ambient ground vibrations during normal business activities in the subject stockhouscs and general project area: (3) recommend an allowable demolition vibration criteria and develop a monitoring program; and (4) implement the monitoring program. A resultant peak particle velocity (RPPV) of 1.0 inch per second was recommended as the threshold for low-risk demolition. This program was used successfully to demolish the Borsari Cellars without causing damage to adjacent stockhouses, glass-lined beer tanks, and underground tunnels on the project site. This approach could be used for similar situations or for demolition in areas where industrial buildings with sensitive equipment are in close proximity

Agouti C57BL/6N embryonic stem cells for mouse genetic resources.

We report the characterization of a highly germline competent C57BL/6N mouse embryonic stem cell line, JM8. To simplify breeding schemes, the dominant agouti coat color gene was restored in JM8 cells by targeted repair of the C57BL/6 nonagouti mutation. These cells provide a robust foundation for large-scale mouse knockout programs that aim to provide a public resource of targeted mutations in the C57BL/6 genetic background

The Grounds and Extent of Legal Responsibility

To question that is the title of this symposium, What Do Compensatory Damages Compensate?, requires consideration of the basic grounds and purposes of legal responsibility. The question is usefully brought into sharper focus by the specific questions and puzzles posed to the contributors to stimulate thought and discussion

Prediagnostic serum biomarkers as early detection tools for pancreatic cancer in a large prospective cohort study

Background: The clinical management of pancreatic cancer is severely hampered by the absence of effective screening tools. Methods: Sixty-seven biomarkers were evaluated in prediagnostic sera obtained from cases of pancreatic cancer enrolled in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO). Results: The panel of CA 19-9, OPN, and OPG, identified in a prior retrospective study, was not effective. CA 19-9, CEA, NSE, bHCG, CEACAM1 and PRL were significantly altered in sera obtained from cases greater than 1 year prior to diagnosis. Levels of CA 19-9, CA 125, CEA, PRL, and IL-8 were negatively associated with time to diagnosis. A training/validation study using alternate halves of the PLCO set failed to identify a biomarker panel with significantly improved performance over CA 19-9 alone. When the entire PLCO set was used for training at a specificity (SP) of 95%, a panel of CA 19-9, CEA, and Cyfra 21-1 provided significantly elevated sensitivity (SN) levels of 32.4% and 29.7% in samples collected 1 year prior to diagnosis, respectively, compared to SN levels of 25.7% and 17.2% for CA 19-9 alone. Conclusions: Most biomarkers identified in previously conducted case/control studies are ineffective in prediagnostic samples, however several biomarkers were identified as significantly altered up to 35 months prior to diagnosis. Two newly derived biomarker combinations offered advantage over CA 19-9 alone in terms of SN, particularly in samples collected >1 year prior to diagnosis. However, the efficacy of biomarker-based tools remains limited at present. Several biomarkers demonstrated significant velocity related to time to diagnosis, an observation which may offer considerable potential for enhancements in early detection. © 2014 Nolen et al

An emerging field of research: challenges in pediatric decision making

There is growing interest in pediatric decision science, spurred by policies advocating for children's involvement in medical decision making. Challenges specific to pediatric decision research include the dynamic nature of child participation in decisions due to the growth and development of children, the family context of all pediatric decisions, and the measurement of preferences and outcomes that may inform decision making in the pediatric setting. The objectives of this article are to describe each of these challenges, to provide decision researchers with insight into pediatric decision making, and to establish a blueprint for future research that will contribute to high-quality pediatric medical decision making. Much work has been done to address gaps in pediatric decision science, but substantial work remains. Understanding and addressing the challenges that exist in pediatric decision making may foster medical decision-making science across the age spectrum

Evaluation of novel data-driven metrics of amyloid β deposition for longitudinal PET studies

PURPOSE: Positron emission tomography (PET) provides in vivo quantification of amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology. Established methods for assessing Aβ burden can be affected by physiological and technical factors. Novel, data-driven metrics have been developed to account for these sources of variability. We aimed to evaluate the performance of four data-driven amyloid PET metrics against conventional techniques, using a common set of criteria. METHODS: Three cohorts were used for evaluation: Insight 46 (N=464, [18F]florbetapir), AIBL (N=277, [18F]flutemetamol), and an independent test-retest data (N=10, [18F]flutemetamol). Established metrics of amyloid tracer uptake included the Centiloid (CL) and where dynamic data was available, the non-displaceable binding potential (BPND). The four data driven metrics computed were the amyloid load (Aβ load), the Aβ PET pathology accumulation index (Aβ index), the Centiloid derived from non-negative matrix factorisation (CLNMF), and the amyloid pattern similarity score (AMPSS). These metrics were evaluated using reliability and repeatability in test-retest data, associations with BPND and CL, and sample size estimates to detect a 25% slowing in Aβ accumulation. RESULTS: All metrics showed good reliability. Aβ load, Aβ index and CLNMF were strong associated with the BPND. The associations with CL suggests that cross-sectional measures of CLNMF, Aβ index and Aβ load are robust across studies. Sample size estimates for secondary prevention trial scenarios were the lowest for CLNMF and Aβ load compared to the CL. CONCLUSION: Among the novel data-driven metrics evaluated, the Aβ load, the Aβ index and the CLNMF can provide comparable performance to more established quantification methods of Aβ PET tracer uptake. The CLNMF and Aβ load could offer a more precise alternative to CL, although further studies in larger cohorts should be conducted

MIRO-1 Determines Mitochondrial Shape Transition upon GPCR Activation and Ca^(2+) Stress

Mitochondria shape cytosolic calcium ([Ca^(2+)]_c) transients and utilize the mitochondrial Ca_2^+ ([Ca^(2+)]_m) in exchange for bioenergetics output. Conversely, dysregulated [Ca^(2+)]_c causes [Ca^(2+)]_m overload and induces permeability transition pore and cell death. Ablation of MCU-mediated Ca^(2+) uptake exhibited elevated [Ca^(2+)]_c and failed to prevent stress-induced cell death. The mechanisms for these effects remain elusive. Here, we report that mitochondria undergo a cytosolic Ca^(2+)-induced shape change that is distinct from mitochondrial fission and swelling. [Ca^(2+)]_c elevation, but not MCU-mediated Ca^(2+) uptake, appears to be essential for the process we term mitochondrial shape transition (MiST). MiST is mediated by the mitochondrial protein Miro1 through its EF-hand domain 1 in multiple cell types. Moreover, Ca^(2+)-dependent disruption of Miro1/KIF5B/tubulin complex is determined by Miro1 EF1 domain. Functionally, Miro1-dependent MiST is essential for autophagy/mitophagy that is attenuated in Miro1 EF1 mutants. Thus, Miro1 is a cytosolic Ca^(2+) sensor that decodes metazoan Ca^(2+) signals as MiST