An assessment of job motivational factors of HIV/AIDS lay counsellors working for Western Cape NGOs

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 102-106).The purpose of this research was to uncover determinants in the work of NGO lay counsellors in the Western Cape which both motivate and de-motivate. The methodology used was to administer questionnaires to these counsellors. Secondly, questionnaires were also administered to the project managers who co-ordinate the counsellors at each of the seven participating NGOs. In total 114 HIV/Aids counsellors completed the questionnaires

The effect of a seven-week exercise program on golf swing performance and musculoskeletal measures

As most golf exercise studies have shown improved golf performance as a result of two or three sessions per week, the present study investigated the effects of a supervised exercise session performed once a week for seven weeks on golf swing variables and musculoskeletal screening measures. Professional Golfers Association of Australia International Golf Institute student golfers (n ¼ 43) with a mean standard deviation handicap of 8.6 8.3 participated in the study. Each golfer performed 10 musculoskeletal tests and a standardised 60-shot golf performance test (TrackMan, Vedbaek, Denmark) on separate days before and after the seven-week program. Significant improvements in a number of musculoskeletal tests (i.e. left leg bridging (6.6%), thoracic extension (62.5%), right thoracic rotation (23.3%), and right (20.8%) and left single leg squat (29.1%)) were observed (all p 0.024); however, no significant differences were observed for any golf swing variables. Future research investigating different training protocols may help to determine whether the type or frequency of training has the greatest influence on golf swing performance

Radio Detections During Two State Transitions of the Intermediate Mass Black Hole HLX-1

Relativistic jets are streams of plasma moving at appreciable fractions of the speed of light. They have been observed from stellar mass black holes ($\sim$3$-$20 solar masses, M$_\odot$) as well as supermassive black holes ($\sim$10$^6$$-$10$^9$ M$_\odot$) found in the centres of most galaxies. Jets should also be produced by intermediate mass black holes ($\sim$10$^2$$-$10$^5$ M$_\odot$), although evidence for this third class of black hole has until recently been weak. We report the detection of transient radio emission at the location of the intermediate mass black hole candidate ESO 243-49 HLX-1, which is consistent with a discrete jet ejection event. These observations also allow us to refine the mass estimate of the black hole to be between $\sim$9 $\times$10$^{3}$ M$_\odot$ and $\sim$9 $\times$10$^{4}$ M$_\odot$.Comment: 13 pages, includes supplementary online information. Published in Science in August 201

Product hopping in the drug industry — lessons from Albuterol

Product Hopping in the Drug Industry Product hops to albuterol inhalers containing hydrofluoroalkane rather than chlorofluorocarbons cost payers and patients billions of dollars. Without patent and regulatory reform, this pattern is likely to be repeated

A widely tunable 10-μ\mum quantum cascade laser phase-locked to a state-of-the-art mid-infrared reference for precision molecular spectroscopy

We report the coherent phase-locking of a quantum cascade laser (QCL) at 10-$\mu$m to the secondary frequency standard of this spectral region, a CO2 laser stabilized on a saturated absorption line of OsO4. The stability and accuracy of the standard are transferred to the QCL resulting in a line width of the order of 10 Hz, and leading to our knowledge to the narrowest QCL to date. The locked QCL is then used to perform absorption spectroscopy spanning 6 GHz of NH3 and methyltrioxorhenium, two species of interest for applications in precision measurements.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Economics of dialysis dependence following renal replacement therapy for critically ill acute kidney injury patients

Background The obective of this study was to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing intermittent with continuous renal replacement therapy (IRRT versus CRRT) as initial therapy for acute kidney injury (AKI) in the intensive care unit (ICU). Methods Assuming some patients would potentially be eligible for either modality, we modeled life year gained, the quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and healthcare costs for a cohort of 1000 IRRT patients and a cohort of 1000 CRRT patients. We used a 1-year, 5-year and a lifetime horizon. A Markov model with two health states for AKI survivors was designed: dialysis dependence and dialysis independence. We applied Weibull regression from published estimates to fit survival curves for CRRT and IRRT patients and to fit the proportion of dialysis dependence among CRRT and IRRT survivors. We then applied a risk ratio reported in a large retrospective cohort study to the fitted CRRT estimates in order to determine the proportion of dialysis dependence for IRRT survivors. We conducted sensitivity analyses based on a range of differences for daily implementation cost between CRRT and IRRT (base case: CRRT day $632 more expensive than IRRT day; range from$200 to $1000) and a range of risk ratios for dialysis dependence for CRRT as compared with IRRT (from 0.65 to 0.95; base case: 0.80). Results Continuous renal replacement therapy was associated with a marginally greater gain in QALY as compared with IRRT (1.093 versus 1.078). Despite higher upfront costs for CRRT in the ICU ($4046 for CRRT versus $1423 for IRRT in average), the 5-year total cost including the cost of dialysis dependence was lower for CRRT ($37 780 for CRRT versus $39 448 for IRRT on average). The base case incremental cost-effectiveness analysis showed that CRRT dominated IRRT. This dominance was confirmed by extensive sensitivity analysis. Conclusions Initial CRRT is cost-effective compared with initial IRRT by reducing the rate of long-term dialysis dependence among critically ill AKI survivor

Predictors of Weight Loss Maintenance following an Insurance-Sponsored Weight Management Program

Intentional weight loss among overweight and obese adults (body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2) is associated with numerous health benefits, but weight loss maintenance (WLM) following participation in weight management programming has proven to be elusive. Many individuals attempting to lose weight join formal programs, especially women, but these programs vary widely in focus, as do postprogram weight regain results. We surveyed 2,106 former participants in a community-based, insurance-sponsored weight management program in the United States to identify the pre, during, and post-intervention behavioral and psychosocial factors that lead to successful WLM. Of 835 survey respondents (39.6% response rate), 450 met criteria for inclusion in this study. Logistic regression analyses suggest that interventionists should assess and discuss weight loss and behavior change perceptions early in a program. However, in developing maintenance plans later in a program, attention should shift to behaviors, such as weekly weighing, limiting snacking in the evening, limiting portion sizes, and being physically active every day

Overview of the SAPHIRA Detector for AO Applications

We discuss some of the unique details of the operation and behavior of Leonardo SAPHIRA detectors, particularly in relation to their usage for adaptive optics wavefront sensing. SAPHIRA detectors are 320$\times$256@24 $\mu$m pixel HgCdTe linear avalanche photodiode arrays and are sensitive to 0.8-2.5 $\mu m$ light. SAPHIRA arrays permit global or line-by-line resets, of the entire detector or just subarrays of it, and the order in which pixels are reset and read enable several readout schemes. We discuss three readout modes, the benefits, drawbacks, and noise sources of each, and the observational modes for which each is optimal. We describe the ability of the detector to read subarrays for increased frame rates, and finally clarify the differences between the avalanche gain (which is user-adjustable) and the charge gain (which is not).Comment: 13 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, accepted to JATI

Manufacturer revenue on inhalers after expiration of primary patents, 2000-2021

Inhalers remain the cornerstone therapy for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Over the past several decades, brand-name manufacturers have continued to sell most inhalers at high prices without the threat of direct generic competition. They have arranged for long periods of market exclusivity by obtaining patents not just on the active ingredients (primary patents) but also on peripheral aspects of these products, such as the propellants and delivery devices (secondary patents), and by shifting active ingredients to different devices (device hops), thereby adding new secondary patents

A near-infrared pyramid wavefront sensor for Keck adaptive optics: real-time controller

A new real-time control system will be implemented within the Keck II adaptive optics system to support the new near-infrared pyramid wavefront sensor. The new real-time computer has to interface with an existing, very productive adaptive optics system. We discuss our solution to install it in an operational environment without impacting science. This solution is based on an independent SCExAO-based pyramid wavefront sensor realtime processor solution using the hardware interfaces provided by the existing Keck II real-time controller. We introduce the new pyramid real-time controller system design, its expected performance, and the modification of the operational real-time controller to support the pyramid system including interfacing with the existing deformable and tip-tilt mirrors. We describe the integration of the Saphira detector-based camera and the Boston Micromachines kilo-DM in this new architecture. We explain the software architecture and philosophy, the shared memory concept and how the real-time computer uses the power of GPUs for adaptive optics control. We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of this architecture and how it can benefit other projects. The motion control of the devices deployed on the Keck II adaptive optics bench to support the alignment of the light on the sensors is also described. The interfaces, developed to deal with the rest of the Keck telescope systems in the observatory distributed system, are reviewed. Based on this experience, we present which design ideas could have helped us integrate the new system with the previous one and the resultant performance gains