Oral history interview with Nancy Wainwright

Women\u27s oral history interview with Nancy Wainwright. Her topic is women practicing law. Interviewer: Scott Siraso

Dyes, flies, and sunny skies: photodynamic therapy and neglected tropical diseases

Photodynamic therapy, in its various applications, represents the focused combination of electromagnetic radiation, a chemical (usually a dye) capable of its absorption and conversion, and oxygen to provide cytotoxicity (cell killing). The effect has been known for over a century, and there is considerable clinical use in terms of its application to various cancers. However, the antimicrobial properties of the technology, which are considerable, have received only a lukewarm reception by healthcare providers, and the possibilities for tropical disease therapy are mainly unexplored. This is particularly vexatious given both the inexpensive nature of the photosensitisers and light sources available and the lack of conventional forward progress in widespread diseases such as leishmaniasis, trypanosomiasis, and tuberculosis in the Developing World. The following review therefore covers the use, or potential use, of the photodynamic approach in this area, mainly with reference to tropical diseases having current ‘neglected’ status according to the World Health Organisation. © 2016 The Authors. Coloration Technology © 2016 Society of Dyers and Colourist

Future asymptotic expansions of Bianchi VIII vacuum metrics

Bianchi VIII vacuum solutions to Einstein's equations are causally geodesically complete to the future, given an appropriate time orientation, and the objective of this article is to analyze the asymptotic behaviour of solutions in this time direction. For the Bianchi class A spacetimes, there is a formulation of the field equations that was presented in an article by Wainwright and Hsu, and in a previous article we analyzed the asymptotic behaviour of solutions in these variables. One objective of this paper is to give an asymptotic expansion for the metric. Furthermore, we relate this expansion to the topology of the compactified spatial hypersurfaces of homogeneity. The compactified spatial hypersurfaces have the topology of Seifert fibred spaces and we prove that in the case of NUT Bianchi VIII spacetimes, the length of a circle fibre converges to a positive constant but that in the case of general Bianchi VIII solutions, the length tends to infinity at a rate we determine.Comment: 50 pages, no figures. Erronous definition of Seifert fibred spaces correcte

Two are better than one: Fundamental parameters of frame coherence

This paper investigates two parameters that measure the coherence of a frame: worst-case and average coherence. We first use worst-case and average coherence to derive near-optimal probabilistic guarantees on both sparse signal detection and reconstruction in the presence of noise. Next, we provide a catalog of nearly tight frames with small worst-case and average coherence. Later, we find a new lower bound on worst-case coherence; we compare it to the Welch bound and use it to interpret recently reported signal reconstruction results. Finally, we give an algorithm that transforms frames in a way that decreases average coherence without changing the spectral norm or worst-case coherence

Wireless aquatic navigator for detection and analysis (WANDA)

The cost of monitoring and detecting pollutants in natural waters is of major concern. Current and forthcoming bodies of legislation will continue to drive demand for spatial and selective monitoring of our environment, as the focus increasingly moves towards effective enforcement of legislation through detection of events, and unambiguous identification of perpetrators. However, these monitoring demands are not being met due to the infrastructure and maintenance costs of conventional sensing models. Advanced autonomous platforms capable of performing complex analytical measurements at remote locations still require individual power, wireless communication, processor and electronic transducer units, along with regular maintenance visits. Hence the cost base for these systems is prohibitively high, and the spatial density and frequency of measurements are insufficient to meet requirements. In this paper we present a more cost effective approach for water quality monitoring using a low cost mobile sensing/communications platform together with very low cost stand-alone ‘satellite’ indicator stations that have an integrated colorimetric sensing material. The mobile platform is equipped with a wireless video camera that is used to interrogate each station to harvest information about the water quality. In simulation experiments, the first cycle of measurements is carried out to identify a ‘normal’ condition followed by a second cycle during which the platform successfully detected and communicated the presence of a chemical contaminant that had been localised at one of the satellite stations

Effect of Temperature on Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease and Infections: A Replicated Cohort Study

Progressive lung disease accounts for the majority of morbidity and mortality observed in cystic fibrosis (CF). Beyond secondhand smoke exposure and socio-economic status, the effect of specific environmental factors on CF lung function is largely unknown.Multivariate regression was used to assess correlation between specific environmental factors, the presence of pulmonary pathogens, and variation in lung function using subjects enrolled in the U.S. CF Twin and Sibling Study (CFTSS: n = 1378). Significant associations were tested for replication in the U.S. CF Foundation Patient Registry (CFF: n = 16439), the Australian CF Data Registry (ACFDR: n = 1801), and prospectively ascertained subjects from Australia/New Zealand (ACFBAL: n = 167).In CFTSS subjects, the presence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (OR = 1.06 per °F; p<0.001) was associated with warmer annual ambient temperatures. This finding was independently replicated in the CFF (1.02; p<0.001), ACFDR (1.05; p = 0.002), and ACFBAL (1.09; p = 0.003) subjects. Warmer temperatures (-0.34 points per °F; p = 0.005) and public insurance (-6.43 points; p<0.001) were associated with lower lung function in the CFTSS subjects. These findings were replicated in the CFF subjects (temperature: -0.31; p<0.001; insurance: -9.11; p<0.001) and similar in the ACFDR subjects (temperature: -0.23; p = 0.057). The association between temperature and lung function was minimally influenced by P. aeruginosa. Similarly, the association between temperature and P. aeruginosa was largely independent of lung function.Ambient temperature is associated with prevalence of P. aeruginosa and lung function in four independent samples of CF patients from two continents

Face Masks and Cough Etiquette Reduce the Cough Aerosol Concentration of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in People with Cystic Fibrosis

People with cystic fibrosis (CF) generate Pseudomonas aeruginosa in droplet nuclei during coughing. The use of surgical masks has been recommended in healthcare settings to minimize pathogen transmission between patients with CF.To determine if face masks and cough etiquette reduce viable P. aeruginosa aerosolized during coughing.Twenty-five adults with CF and chronic P. aeruginosa infection were recruited. Participants performed six talking and coughing maneuvers, with or without face masks (surgical and N95) and hand covering the mouth when coughing (cough etiquette) in an aerosol-sampling device. An Andersen Cascade Impactor was used to sample the aerosol at 2 meters from each participant. Quantitative sputum and aerosol bacterial cultures were performed, and participants rated the mask comfort levels during the cough maneuvers.During uncovered coughing (reference maneuver), 19 of 25 (76%) participants produced aerosols containing P. aeruginosa, with a positive correlation found between sputum P. aeruginosa concentration (measured as cfu/ml) and aerosol P. aeruginosa colony-forming units. There was a reduction in aerosol P. aeruginosa load during coughing with a surgical mask, coughing with an N95 mask, and cough etiquette compared with uncovered coughing (P