Large Deployable Reflector Science and Technology Workshop. Volume 3: Systems and Technology Assessment

The results of five technology panels which convened to discuss the Large Deployable Reflector (LDR) are presented. The proposed LDR is a large, ambient-temperature, far infrared/submillimeter telescope designed for space. Panel topics included optics, materials and structures, sensing and control, science instruments, and systems and missions. The telescope requirements, the estimated technology levels, and the areas in which the generic technology work has to be augmented are enumerated

Methods for sampling geographically mobile female traders in an East African market setting.

BACKGROUND:The role of migration in the spread of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa is well-documented. Yet migration and HIV research have often focused on HIV risks to male migrants and their partners, or migrants overall, often failing to measure the risks to women via their direct involvement in migration. Inconsistent measures of mobility, gender biases in those measures, and limited data sources for sex-specific population-based estimates of mobility have contributed to a paucity of research on the HIV prevention and care needs of migrant and highly mobile women. This study addresses an urgent need for novel methods for developing probability-based, systematic samples of highly mobile women, focusing on a population of female traders operating out of one of the largest open air markets in East Africa. Our method involves three stages: 1.) identification and mapping of all market stall locations using Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates; 2.) using female market vendor stall GPS coordinates to build the sampling frame using replicates; and 3.) using maps and GPS data for recruitment of study participants. RESULTS:The location of 6,390 vendor stalls were mapped using GPS. Of these, 4,064 stalls occupied by women (63.6%) were used to draw four replicates of 128 stalls each, and a fifth replicate of 15 pre-selected random alternates for a total of 527 stalls assigned to one of five replicates. Staff visited 323 stalls from the first three replicates and from these successfully recruited 306 female vendors into the study for a participation rate of 94.7%. Mobilization strategies and involving traders association representatives in participant recruitment were critical to the study's success. CONCLUSION:The study's high participation rate suggests that this geospatial sampling method holds promise for development of probability-based samples in other settings that serve as transport hubs for highly mobile populations

Laser-based characterization and decontamination of contaminated facilities

This study examines the application of laser ablation to the characterization and decontamination of painted and unpainted concrete and metal surfaces that are typical of many facilities within the US Department of Energy complex. The utility of this promising technology is reviewed and the essential requirements for efficient ablation extracted. Recent data obtained on the ablation of painted steel surfaces and concrete are presented. The affects of beam irradiance, ablation speed and efficiency, and characteristics of the aerosol effluent are discussed. Characterization of the ablated components of the surface offers the ability of concurrent determination of the level of contamination. This concept can be applied online where the ablation endpoint can be determined. A conceptual system for the characterization and decontamination of surfaces is proposed

A Metastatic Jejunal Tumor from Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Lung Found in an Intestinal Perforation

An 85-year-old male with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, who was diagnosed about 10 years prior to his current presentation, suddenly complained of abdominal pain and underwent an abdominal computed tomography scan, which revealed free air and massive ascites. He was admitted to our hospital for acute peritonitis and emergency surgery was performed. During the surgical procedure, a perforation of the jejunum was diagnosed and repaired. He was diagnosed to have a metastatic tumor originating from a squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. He improved and was transferred to the former hospital on the 27th postoperative day. Jejunal metastasis from squamous cell carcinoma of the lung is rare, and the prognosis of peritonitis due to a perforated intestinal metastasis from lung cancer is poor. There have been 10 reports of jejunal metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung reported in Japan between 2000 and 2011. Therefore, when patients with advanced lung cancer present with acute abdomen, it is necessary to keep in mind the possibility of a gastrointestinal metastatic tumor

Candida parapsilosis Characterization in an Outbreak Setting

Candida parapsilosis is an important non-albicans species which infects hospitalized patients. No studies have correlated outbreak infections of C. parapsilosis with multiple virulence factors. We used DNA fingerprinting to determine genetic variability among isolates from a C. parapsilosis outbreak and from our clinical database. We compared phenotypic markers of pathogenesis, including adherence, biofilm formation, and protein secretion (secretory aspartic protease [SAP] and phospholipase). Adherence was measured as colony counts on silicone elastomer disks immersed in agar. Biofilms formed on disks were quantified by dry weight. SAP expression was measured by hydrolysis of bovine albumin; a colorimetric assay was used to quantitate phospholipase. DNA fingerprinting indicated that the outbreak isolates were clonal and genetically distinct from our database. Biofilm expression by the outbreak clone was greater than that of sporadic isolates (p < 0.0005). Adherence and protein secretion did not correlate with strain pathogenicity. These results suggest that biofilm production plays a role in C. parapsilosis outbreaks

Host Cell Invasion and Virulence Mediated by Candida albicans Ssa1

Candida albicans Ssa1 and Ssa2 are members of the HSP70 family of heat shock proteins that are expressed on the cell surface and function as receptors for antimicrobial peptides such as histatins. We investigated the role of Ssa1 and Ssa2 in mediating pathogenic host cell interactions and virulence. A C. albicans ssa1Δ/Δ mutant had attenuated virulence in murine models of disseminated and oropharyngeal candidiasis, whereas an ssa2Δ/Δ mutant did not. In vitro studies revealed that the ssa1Δ/Δ mutant caused markedly less damage to endothelial cells and oral epithelial cell lines. Also, the ssa1Δ/Δ mutant had defective binding to endothelial cell N-cadherin and epithelial cell E-cadherin, receptors that mediate host cell endocytosis of C. albicans. As a result, this mutant had impaired capacity to induce its own endocytosis by endothelial cells and oral epithelial cells. Latex beads coated with recombinant Ssa1 were avidly endocytosed by both endothelial cells and oral epithelial cells, demonstrating that Ssa1 is sufficient to induce host cell endocytosis. These results indicate that Ssa1 is a novel invasin that binds to host cell cadherins, induces host cell endocytosis, and is critical for C. albicans to cause maximal damage to host cells and induce disseminated and oropharyngeal disease